Luffy's Journey to Become the King Again
by bigrc71
Summary: Luffy finally makes it to the end of the New World and to Raftel. He should be really happy with how things turned out for him and his crew. He's not. While exploring the cave where Gol D. Roger hid the One Piece Luffy discovers something that will change his life. Will he and his crew be better for it? Only time will tell. Rating changed to M for LEMONS in future chapters
1. Luffy goes back to change the future

**Author's Note: I Do Not Own One Piece. It belongs to Eiichiro Oda. **

**I apologize in advance if you are getting sick of time travel stories. I have read some the stories on the site and gotten a rough idea of how I would this kind of story to turn out. So, I am going to tell my version. I have never been much of a writer but this should be fun none the less. So please Enjoy. Also comments and reviews are much appreciated. **

**I will be using Japanese terms for items and abilities in this story**

**Ex. Kairoseki as opposed to Sea stone; Haoshoku no Haki or Conqueror's Haki as opposed to Color of the Conqueror Haki**

Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates had done it. They had made it to the end of the New World and had found Raftel along with the One Piece. Along the way they faced many challenges and overcame many obstacles on their way to accomplishing a little more than half of their goals. With some more still to look forward to. Luffy had become the King of the Pirates, Zoro defeated Mihawk and became the World's Greatest Swordsman, Usopp became a brave man of the sea, Robin had learned of the true history of the world during the hundred year void, and Franky had built a ship that had taken him and his nakama to the end of the sea.

Of course some goals they just could not complete with one trip around the world. Nami still had many more islands to map as well as a majority of the four blues, Sanji had yet to find the All Blue but was confident he would find it someday, Chopper had yet to find a cure for all diseases but he was making a fair dent in the list with the herbs they had come across on some of the more unforgiving and uninhabitable islands of the New World, and as for Brook he was still waiting to see his old friend again after so many years, but he was happy watching his friends complete their goals the same nakama that had given him purpose again after all those years alone, adrift at sea.

Even with everything falling into place Luffy still wasn't quite as happy as he should be. He still missed Ace, he wished he could have been here with him to see his dream finally come to fruition. So while the crew was off enjoying the beach of Raftel, Luffy took it upon himself to explore the cave where the grand treasure, the One Piece was resting. Luffy followed the twisting caverns and made it into the treasure chamber. It was an enormous cave deep in the island well hidden, even though the island was tough enough to find on its own. Luffy began digging through the mountains of gold, silver, jewels and various other jewel encrusted items. Something caught his attention, he would have normally paid it no mind on any other day but today was different. He was thinking of things he wished he could change but had no power to do so. Not really giving it a second thought he picked up the lamp that reminded him of a story Usopp once told him, although he believed it was a lie the long nosed sniper had not been exactly the same after their two years apart. He took his hand back into the sleeve of his cardigan and began to clean off all the dust that had accumulated on it after 26 years or so of going untouched.

Luffy dropped the lamp and jumped back in surprise as a plume of smoke began to bellow out of the small opening in the front of the lamp. Much to his surprise as he stood there with stars in his eyes and with his mouth open wide a figure appeared. The figure was looked like any other person expect for the fact that he had no legs and he had a ghostly tail. Luffy was in awe at the sight before him. He stood there completely speechless which was weird for Luffy. After a few moments of awkward silence the ghostly being spoke.

"Thank you, you have freed me from my prison" Luffy still standing there like an idiot and didn't move.

"For freeing me from my prison after so much time, I would like to reward you." the ghostly figure spoke

"You have 3 wishes" the being kept going "There are things I can't do and I will make it clear to you if you have asked for something out side of my abilities." Luffy had been surprised at first but now was listening while picking his nose with his pinky.

"You idiot did you hear a single word I said" the being said in annoyed voice at his savior.

"Of course I was listening, I was just thinking" Luffy spoke

Skipping right to the point and being perfectly honest as he was known to be just blurted something out

"Can you bring someone back from the dead" Luffy said kind of hoping the answer would be yes.

"Unfortunately, I am unable to do that." Disappointed Luffy asked another question to the ghostly figure.

"Can you send me back in time?" the ghost had to think about how to answer for man in front of him was rather dim.

"Yes, Yes I can do that." Before Luffy could get another word in the ghost continued.

"But by doing so, by turning back the hands on the clock of the world there will only be so many important things that you can change if you choose to do so before this reality changes or ceases to exist being replaced by one that takes all of your changes into account."

Luffy wasn't sure what to make of this information that had just gone through his head. He tilted his head to the side showing his confusion. The ghostly figure was unsurprised by this turn of events.

"Ok, to make it simple for you the more of your own past you change the more this time will change." Luffy put his right fist on top of opened left palm as if emphasizing that he understood.

"So now that you have come to terms with the idea that this time will change I have two more questions for you"

"First, is there a specific time in your life you would like me to send you back to?" Before Luffy could get a word in the ghost began to speak again.

"Second, would you like to say goodbye to any of the people who I would presume are your friends outside enjoying themselves?" Luffy stood there contemplating just leaving his friends without a goodbye as he had never done that to anyone in the past anyway. The ghost then spoke up again.

"To do this I am going to have to dig through your memories and from those old memories I will be able to create a portal to the time of your choosing. I will give you some time to think about what you are going to do." Luffy now had a lot to think about. He knew that thinking about all this would make his head hurt. So he did the only logical thing he could do at the moment, he sat down on the ground, crossed his legs, covered his eyes with his infamous straw hat, crossed his arms and he fell asleep.

He fell asleep without any hesitation. The ghostly beings jaw fell open in disbelief at what he was seeing. While the ghost was just staring at the idiot in disbelief, Luffy had begun to think back to his childhood. He thought about when he had first eaten the Gomu Gomu no mi and the stupid bandits that made fun of his childhood idol Shanks. He thought about how Shanks lost his left arm protecting him from a sea king. He wondered how shanks would change had he not lost his arm so foolishly. He thought about how he believed he lost Sabo to that damn Celestial Dragon. He also thought about how happy the unexpected reunion between the two of them had been back in Dressrosa. He wasn't sure how things would turn out for Sabo if he saved him or prevented his boating 'accident'. He was the second in command of the Revolutionary Army only below Dragon himself. Luffy really had no idea how much Sabo had done to help his father with their mission of overthrowing the World Government. The thing Luffy knew at this point in his life was that Sabo turned out alright. He thought about how Sabo wasn't afraid to brag that he went toe to toe with an Admiral of the Navy, resulting in what seemed like a tie as neither side made any progress. He didn't want to ruin all his brother had accomplished by changing his fate and rolling the dice to see what would happen had he become a Pirate instead of a Revolutionary. With all of those memories floating around in his head, he suddenly woke and stood up much to the surprise of the ghost.

"I have one last question before you send me back." Luffy said looking up at the ghost.

"My body will change to what it was during this time right, but what about my strength and mind. What will become of those?" Luffy stood there waiting for a response to his rather intelligent and self-aware question. The ghost hovered there kind of surprised Luffy could come up with such a question. Thinking about the question the ghost had to pause for a moment before responding to Luffy.

After finding the right words the ghost spoke. "Your current mind will take the place of the mind that is in your body back then." Luffy was excited to hear this

"As for your strength I guess only time will tell." He wasn't pleased when he heard this.

"One more question. What about my scar, what will become of it." Luffy said very curiously wondering what the specter would say.

"Well it is tied to a traumatic event in your life, correct?" Luffy nodded his head, holding back the tears that often came around when he thought of the events that lead to Ace's death and well the rest was a blank after that as he didn't know what happened until weeks later when he awoke on Law's Sub in an alcove of Amazon Lily.

"Well, if you go back in time well before you received that scar it will not be there. But depending on how events turn out around the time you were to get that scar it is tough to say, you may get it, you may not." Luffy seemed to be ok with that answer.

"You seem to be ready to go are you sure you don't want to say goodbye." Luffy shook his head side to side.

"I don't want to worry them, besides what would they think if they knew I was doing something so reckless. It would be impossible to send us all back to the same place anyway as no one but me on the crew is from Fuusha Village, their minds would have nowhere to go. Besides they all have things they need to learn where they are from, what would happen to them if they suddenly found themselves in their younger bodies. Sure some would be glad having all their knowledge and skills from today. But knowing how things would go for them in the years to come. How would that change the present or the new future? What would they think of me? Sure some might be glad but I can only imagine what it would be like for Nami, Robin &amp; Brook. I don't want them to have to relive painful memories, all that loneliness, all over again. Knowing that I willingly made them relive their painful pasts would be too much for me, too much for them, I don't want them to hate me for a decision I am going to make that will affect them all. It will be better for them if they just don't remember. I did this all once. I can make it better for them all a second time around."

The ghostly figure was amazed at the amount of thought that went into that statement.

'He cares so much for his for friends; he's putting so much thought into this.' The ghostly being thought to himself.

"All right, let's do this." Those words snapped the ghost out of his thoughts.

"So, when are you going?" The ghost said

"Just think about when you want to go and I will create a portal for you into the past."

"Ok, I am thinking about the time I want to go back to." Luffy said very confident with his decision.

"Well if you are sure you are ready, would you allow me to place my hands on your temples. Using your memories and my powers I be able will create a portal for you to go through into your past."

In just a matter of moments a portal opened up and Luffy could see into his own past. He saw Makino's Bar and he could see Shanks as well as himself as a seven year old. The ghostly being let go of Luffy's head and let him walk up to the portal.

"One last thing kid, if you make it make it back here let me know how it went. I am honestly curious about how you do a second time around. I am the only other being who will remember this even happened. This is goodbye for now Pirate King, Good luck on your journey through time."

"Thanks" was all Luffy said. He was a little surprised to hear that someone else would remember this.

Luffy walked into the portal knowing full well that when he woke up next he would be seven years old again. But Luffy took comfort in thinking that he gets to have all sorts of adventures with his friends all over again.

**Hope you enjoyed reading this. Again please comment and review. Thanks for taking the time to look at this. I am going to rate this T for now. I do like some of the LuNa and ZoRo stories on the site. But I am not sure if that is where I want to take the story yet, if at all.**


	2. Luffy back in his 7 year old body

**AN: Of the Straw Hats who Luffy meets in the East Blue, who is your favorite?**

After walking through the portal Luffy found himself waking up in Makino's Bar. Much to his surprise he could sense people were looking at him. Shank's crew may be a bunch pirates but they have spent enough time with Luffy to get to know and worry about him. Luffy knew he would have to come with an excuse believable or not to get out of this situation.

With everyone looking at him he lifted his head off the counter, opened his mouth and said "Looks like I fell asleep"

With a resounding "No shit" from the whole crew

Makino shot the red haired captain a dirty look as if telling him to watch his language around a child.

Luffy didn't seem to care either way. He turned his head to the right and saw the box that contained his current/ past devil fruit 'man, this is going to be annoying' Luffy thought to himself.

Before Luffy could get in a word to his idol, the mountain bandits walked into the bar. Luffy really wanted to hit them for what they were about to do to Shanks. But he held back not really having any idea of whether or not his strength made the journey with him some 13 years back as his mind had. So he allowed the scene to play itself out.

"We are bandits, we're not here to destroy this bar"

"We need 10 barrels of sake." Higuma said

"We don't have any more sake available" Makino said in an apologetic tone

Shanks held up a bottle of sake for the bandit apologizing and asking if he would like this. The bandit just swung at the bottle and smashed it all over Shanks and the floor. Shanks went to pick up the pieces of broken glass on the floor. While Makino went to help, the bandit drew his sword and slashed a section of the bar. As soon as the bandits left Shanks broke out laughing followed by the rest of his crew. Only to be halted by a yelling Luffy.

'I understand why Shanks just laughed it off but he was still should have just beaten the guy up.' He thought to himself before speaking

"Why did you let them do that to you?"

"It's not really a big problem; it is just some spilt sake, nothing to get angry over."

Okay with that Luffy turned his attention to the box to the right of him while Shanks was talking with Makino. He sat down grabbed the devil fruit and took a rather large bite out of it. Shanks turned his attention to Luffy who was eating something. Shanks got up and yelled at the boy asking if he was eating the fruit in the box. Before Luffy knew what was going on he was upside down with his face on the floor.

'This feels right even if it is still real weird' Luffy thought.

Shanks then told him about the repercussions of eating the strange fruit even though Luffy knew exactly what he was getting himself into.

Later after Shanks and his crew left the bar and the bandits were now occupying the seats. Luffy ran his mouth off angering the bandits. Higuma took the kid outside and were going to deal with him as Makino and the Mayor showed up apologizing for what Luffy had said. The bandits didn't let him go and before they knew it Shanks and crew were standing behind the upset duo.

"I was wondering why no one was at the bar so we followed the noise to see what was going on"

Shanks walked around Makino and the mayor as Higuma was talking.

"If you come any closer, I'll blow your head off, coward."

The next thing Luffy heard was a bandit putting a pistol to Shanks's head and cocking the gun.

"He said not to come any closer or you'll get your head blown off." A nameless bandit said

The next words out of Shanks's mouth would stay with him for the rest of his life.

"Risk your life on it"

"What?"

"With that pistol, you will risk your life."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"This isn't a child's game"

Luffy loved hearing those words even though he was kind of in a predicament as his powers were still untested. Barely any time had passed before the sound of gun could be heard as the bandit who was holding his gun to Shank's head was shot dead by Lucky Roo. The next words out of Shank's mouth just made him respect the red haired pirate even more.

"I can have food or drinks spilled on me, or even be spit at and I'll laugh about it. However if for any reason you hurt a friend of mine… I won't forgive you!"

With those words Higuma ordered his men to attack Shanks and crew. But Benn Beckman the first mate of the Red Haired Pirated dispatched of the small fry in no time at all. This made Higuma nervous as he disappeared behind a smokescreen. Luffy noticed how an important time in his and Shank's lives was about to occur. The next thing he knew he was being held by his shirt over the edge of the boat the bandit then threw him into the water.

'The next few moments were going to be precious if I want to prevent Shanks from losing his arm.' Luffy thought as he was snapped back to reality thanks to the water around him and the King of the Coast coming out of the water and swallowing the foolish mountain bandit whole. The sea king who had just swallowed the bandit turned its attention to a struggling Luffy. The sea king began swimming towards Luffy. Luffy then sensed shanks holding onto him. At this point he knew he was going to be okay. So he put everything he had into a localized blast of his Haoshoku no Haki intimidating the large beast and sending it off swimming in another direction. Luffy had done it he prevented Shanks from losing his left arm to the beast. Shanks was surprised to say the least at this development as he sensed the might of this small boy. Shanks knew that only a select few were able to use the ability the young boy had just displayed.

"Luffy do you know what you just did?"

Feigning ignorance Luffy just played it off as if nothing happened even though he knew exactly what he had done.

"No, what did I do?" Luffy looked at him confused, even though he knew exactly what he had done.

"Ah, nevermind." 'If he is not aware of it yet there is no reason to push him for something he doesn't understand.' Shanks thought to himself

While Shanks was talking Luffy wondered how this would change Shanks future. When he saw Shanks again in his future he was able to beat him but only just so. He knew that doing this would give Shanks the upper hand in the future, and making their battle even more difficult. But he none the less would be ready when the time came. He had 13 years or so to train.

Shanks swam back to shore with Luffy. Neither person said a word but they didn't have to their expressions showed everything they were thinking. When they made it back to shore Makino, the mayor and Shanks crew greeted them. Shanks left Luffy with Makino as he went to talk with Yasopp, Benn &amp; Lucky Roo.

"Something interesting happened while we were in the water" Shanks said

Benn was the first to speak up and ask what happened.

"Alright captain we give, what happened in the water."

"You may not believe me but Luffy used the Haoshoku no Haki and scared off a sea king. I am not sure if he knew what he was doing, But when I was swimming back to shore I could just tell that Luffy was real happy for some reason."

The three men looked at their captain with puzzled looks on their faces, as if trying to find out if he was kidding about what had happened. Seeing this reaction Shanks had no choice but to respond.

"I'm serious, Luffy used that Haki and sent the damn beast swimming away, terrified."

"I think he really might be destined for great things one day."

The three men continued to look at their captain, still not sure how to respond.

"Alright captain I believe you." His first mate responded.

"I guess we will just have to wait and see what Luffy does with his life in the future, for now we should get ready to leave. We have a long journey ahead of us."

"Man, hearing what you said captain and seeing Luffy makes me want to see my son again." Said Yasopp

"But I know being a pirate is dangerous even as well renowned as we are. I made a decision and I am going to stick to it." Said Yasopp

"Who knows, maybe if Luffy becomes a pirate maybe he will meet your son and convince him to join his crew, you have talked about him enough." Said Lucky Roo

"Shut up Lucky Roo, I don't talk about him that much." Yasopp responded kind of red

"Oh yes you do" The three men said

"Only while you are drunk which let's face it is kind of often." Shanks continued

"Ah, whatever. Don't we have to get ready to leave" Yasopp retorted

With that the four men started walking toward their ship where they would spend one more night before they left the next morning for their long voyage back to the New World.

The next morning Shanks's crew was loading up their ship with stuff they bought from the town. While they were doing this Luffy and Shanks were talking.

"You leaving?"

"Yeah, we have used this island as our base for about a year now. It's about time we got back to the sea."

"Will you miss us?'

"Yeah, but I am not going to ask to go with you anymore."

"I've decided I am going to become a pirate myself."

Shanks stuck his tongue out at Luffy before responding. "I wasn't going to take you with us either way."

"Like you could become a pirate."

Annoyed Luffy responded "I will"

"I'll gather my own crew that'll be strong enough to beat yours and find the world's greatest treasure."

"No matter what, I will become the King of the Pirates." Luffy yelled

"Oh, you are going to beat us…"

"Then, I'll let you take care of this hat."

Shanks took his straw hat off of his head and placed it on Luffy's.

"It's very important to me."

"Take good care of it"

Shanks and crew all on board, they began sailing away from Fuusha Village. The villagers were waving goodbye to Shanks and crew. The crew was waving back to the villagers who let them stay on the island for the better part of a year. Shanks thought to himself 'Someday, return it to me as a great pirate. It's a promise Luffy.'

Luffy looked up with tears in his eyes and watched as Shanks and crew sailed away. Soon the Red Haired Pirates were out of sight and the villagers returned to their daily lives. The only one who remained at the port was Luffy. He still had tears in his eyes, but they were for a different reason this time. He was thinking about his future and of all the adventures he was going to have with his friends. He was also very excited to see his to be infamous straw hat less tattered than it had been in his time. Although he did feel a little strange not seeing all the repair work Nami had done to the hat in his time. She did put a lot of care into repairing the hat for her idiot captain. Luffy made a vow to himself that he would try to take better care of the hat in the future. Finished thinking about what was to come, Luffy put the hat on his head and covered his eyes as he was known to do. While standing there with his hat covering his eyes a shadow appeared next to Luffy. It was an older version of himself with his red cardigan, yellow sash, blue shorts and his infamous hat in the same position. He raised his hat from his eyes and the shadow disappeared. Luffy turned to walk around and as he was walking back into the village he froze in horror. He had just remembered that his grandfather was going to be coming back to the island soon to take him up and live with Dadan and her group of mountain bandits. However there was reason to be hopeful as he was going to see his brother again.


	3. Garp leave Luffy with Dadan

Before long the day when Luffy would meet Ace again had come. He didn't like how his first encounter with Ace turned last time. He was hoping that he would be able to change it somehow. A little later Garp was walking up Mt. Corvo with Luffy's stretched out face in hand. It hurt just as much as last time but Luffy understood why it hurt him now. Garp wanted Luffy to become a great marine and Luffy still wanted to become the Pirate King. After hiking for some time Garp and Luffy made it to the mountain bandits hideout. Garp dropped Luffy on the ground and went to knock on the door. A very annoyed Dadan opened the door demanding to know who was knocking.

"It's Me" Garp said straight faced.

Dadan stumbled back and Dogra as well as Magra appeared from behind a curtain shocked to see who was standing in front of them. Garp got straight to the point as Luffy was running around like the child he had always been as well physically was now.

"Who is that kid" Magra asked

"My grandson" Garp said as serious as ever

"You are going to take care of him as well"

"What" The trio of mountain bandits replied

"Not happening" The trio said again

"Ok, then you have to make a decision. Either you go to prison for all of your crimes or you take care of him."

Luffy was running around and he felt something nasty hit him in the cheek.

"Who's there?" Luffy said even though he knew it was an irritated Ace who had done it. He did his best to hide his excitement seeing his brother again.

"Hey, you"

"Apologize! That's gross!"

Garp had stopped talking with the bandits and walked up behind Luffy who had found Ace.

"Luffy, this is Ace" Garp said

However Luffy already knew exactly who he was. Ace had spat in Luffy's face like last time. This time he didn't get as mad. After Garp introduced Ace he walked off to talk with the bandits again. Garp had decided that Luffy was going to stay with the mountain bandits and they knew there was nothing they could do or say to change his mind so they regretfully accepted. Garp told Luffy that he was going to be staying with the bandits. Luffy wiped the spit off of his face straightened his hat and walked into the mountain bandits' hideout. Bandits appeared and grabbed him and put a knife to his throat. The bandits began asking for money from him but he didn't have any.

"Call your parents and have them bring cash."

"I don't have any parents"

"I've only got my grandpa"

"Then call you grandpa"

"What's your gramps's name?"

"Garp-san" Dogra responded

The mountain bandits were shocked to hear this and all the more shocked when they learned that another kid was going to be staying with them. Dadan then walked in and dropped a huge plate full of meat on the floor.

"It's time for dinner"

The bandits rushed to get to the food before it was all gone. He dove into the madness but was unable to get any food due to his size. He missed out on the meat and was forced to eat only a bowl of rice for dinner. Luffy wasn't worried as he would be able to get his own food later.

"One bowl of rice and a glass of water a day"

"That is all I am giving you to eat"

"You'll have to raise yourself to be strong" Dadan said

"Alright" Luffy said

Dadan was shocked to say the least as she got her head stuck in the floor. That wasn't the answer she was expecting. All the while Ace had finished eating gotten up and left. Luffy got up and followed Ace out of the hideout knowing exactly where he was going. Ace made it to the top of a cliff standing next to a big tree. Luffy had made it to the bottom of the cliff and had gotten Ace's attention.

"I'm Luffy, I'm not angry that you spat on me anymore."

"It's nothing to get worked up about. Let's be friends."

"Are you going somewhere?" Luffy said this knowing exactly where Ace was going but feigning ignorance as Ace was still in a rotten mood. The next thing Luffy knew Ace had kicked down the tree that was standing next to him and sent it rolling down the cliff and down the hill he had just climbed up. Luffy panicked like he did last time this happened and let the tree follow him down the incline. Once he was far enough ahead of the tree he stopped, turned around and said.

"Busoshoku Koka" Luffy was surprised that this worked

"Buso Koka Gomu Gomu no Gatling" And without much delay Luffy began punching the tree causing it to shatter into fire wood.

Luffy avoided getting stuck between a rock cliff face and the tree this time around. By the time Luffy had made it back up the incline where he had seen Ace he was gone.

'Good, he wasn't there to see what I could do.' Luffy thought to himself

'With Ace likely off at Gray Terminal with Sabo I can test myself. I should see how much of my strength I still have.'

'I should be able to follow Ace much easier this time'

'Maybe I will be able to show them the basics of Haki?' Luffy thought

So with that Luffy abandoned his quest to catch up to Ace at least for the next few days and see how strong he was. Luffy walked off into the forest in some random direction as he would likely be able to find his way back to the bandit's hideout with his Kenbunshoku no Haki. After walking for a little while he stopped and figured that this would be as good a place as any to practice.

The first thing he tested was his Kenbunshoku no Haki. He had done as Rayleigh taught him and counted the number of strong animals on the mountain. Well he attempted to but there were far too many animals on the mountain. He also determined which animals were the strongest, but he didn't know if he could defeat them in his current state. He would need another person to test his skills any further. Stuck for now he moved on to his Busoshoku no Haki.

He thought about his body being covered in the black "armor". Instead of being completely covered he only managed to cover his fore arms and legs up to his knees. He wasn't as proficient in this as he had been. By the time the Straw Hats had made it to Raftel, Luffy had learned to control this Haki and cover his entire body in it. He had still needed work on protecting himself from blades cutting him but he was making progress. Satisfied with that for now he moved on to his Gear Second moves. He would hold off on Haoshoku no Haki and test that on a larger animal once he knew how he stacked up in terms of strength in case it didn't work as he had hoped.

Luffy moved on to Gear Second. He stood in his old stance before his training with Rayleigh. He pumped the blood in both of his legs a few times up into his body turning himself red and causing steam to radiate off of him. Luffy knew that his method of activating Gear Second would hurt his body but he hoped that this would be the only time he had to use it like this. Knowing that he still could do it he let it dissipate and tried it again like Rayleigh taught him. He focused on pumping his legs just enough to get the desired effect. It worked as he hoped it would and only his legs were red and emitting steam. In conjunction with his Gear Second he tried the only move he picked up from CP9.

He said Soru, kicked off the ground ten times or so in an instant and he disappeared and reappeared all over the forest. He was a little disappointed that he wasn't as fast as his twenty year old self but he couldn't expect to be that fast. His little body just wasn't as strong as it had been in the future. He continued to do this for a little while. After determining about how fast he was in comparison to how he had been he stopped jumping around the forest and went to go catch some food. Doing all this in succession had really tired his little body out. After spending two years on Rusukaina as well as his previous 10 years on Mt. Corvo Luffy had no problem getting food for himself. After Luffy finished his dinner he went back to the bandits' hideout where Ace was surprised to see him alive after he attacked him earlier.

The next morning Ace wandered off into the forest to go about his business. Luffy followed Ace out but went off into the forest in a completely different direction and did not bother chasing after Ace. After walking for a while Luffy found an area with lots of boulders to break. He figured these would be best to test his Buso infused Gear Second attacks. He began practicing and found that he was actually able to break many of the smaller boulders. He wanted to test his Gear Third techniques but he decided to hold off on those for a while.

"I am not nearly as strong as I was but this is pretty good for only being seven."

"I am just glad my body is able to take the strain I am putting on it. I will have to be careful using all of these techniques around people. I can't go showing off too much. What would happen if grandpa found out about what I could do?" Luffy sweat dropped at the thought of what Garp might do to him.

"Once I get to know Ace and Sabo again I should be able to go all out, maybe they will be impressed and want me to teach them?"

"Shit" Luffy said

"I guess I am going to have to figure out how to explain this to them. Starting out the same way Rayleigh taught me would work. This is going to be fun."

"I still can't believe I never beat them once as a kid."

"I should have an advantage for a while."

"Yosh, one more thing to try"

He began searching the jungle for a large animal. He had to find a larger animal he could practice on, or it really wouldn't be worth practicing right now. So he used his Kenbunshoku no Haki and found the closest large animal around. And to his surprise he sensed two people chasing after the beast. He figured it had to be Ace and Sabo. So he followed the three until he finally caught up with them. Ace and Sabo were attacking the animal but were having some trouble beating it. So Luffy being the idiot that he is just walked up and sat down on a rock behind the two boys who were attacking the animal.

"Yo" Luffy said

Ace turned and saw the younger boy just sitting on a rock.

"You?"

"What are you doing here?" Ace said

"Get out of here, run away it's dangerous" said Sabo

"You have to get out of here we are not going to protect you if this boar attacks you"

"Yeah, listen to him. We are having a problem beating this thing. There is no way you would stand a chance against it." Sabo said

"Ok, let's test that out shall we." Luffy said getting up off the rock; he was oozing confidence and excitement to finally get a chance to test this particular skill.

The boar had just been standing there since the boys had stopped attacking it to yell at this other little kid. Luffy began walking toward the boar, the next thing Ace and Sabo knew the boar had gone on the offensive and went to attack this littler boy who should be scared beyond words at this point. Well not today, not this little boy, not this idiot. The next thing Ace and Sabo saw stunned them. The little boy had managed to subdue the large boar without even touching it. The next thing out of the young boys' mouth shocked them just as much.

"Shishishi" Luffy laughed with a stupid grin on his face

"Wow, that worked really well" Luffy said

"What the" was all Ace and Sabo could say as again they were shocked by the little idiot in front of them.

He was grinning, eyes closed holding out his hand two fingers stuck up in the air in the shape of a V.

After Ace and Sabo snapped out of their stupor they looked at the boy. They then realized that they would have to do something about the boar or it might get up and attack them again.

'Will it attack us again?' Ace and Sabo thought

'Is the boar dead?'

'What did he even do?'

The two boys had way too many questions for that particular moment. Focusing back on the boar they decided to tie it up and they began to roast it. Once the boar was done cooking Ace and Sabo began to eat. They then remembered the boy who helped them catch their lunch; they were surprised to see the boy drooling at all the delicious meat in front of him.

"Come on over and have some lunch, you deserve that much" Sabo said

Ace wasn't too happy at the idea but without the other boy would they have been able to beat the boar? Ace began to think back at what he saw just a little while ago.

The boy covered his eyes, one hand on his straw hat tilted down and the other up in the air. All of a sudden Ace felt a strange chill run up his spine, this was nothing like he had ever experienced before. The next thing he knew the boar was down on the ground foaming at the mouth, presumably passed out unconscious.

"Yeah, thanks for sharing with me you two." Luffy wanted to use both their names but figured he would let them introduce themselves when they were ready, even though he already knew both of them.

Luffy began stuffing his face. Ace had gotten rather annoyed at the sight in front of him. So he spoke up hoping to get some answers.

"Alright, out with it. What the heck did you do to the boar?"

Luffy continued eating; this only annoyed Ace even more. Luffy swallowed the food he had in his mouth and began talking.

"I'm not going to tell you, baaaka" Luffy said sticking out his tongue knowing this would get Ace all riled up. Sabo saw this and figured the only way to diffuse the situation was to speak up.

"I'm Sabo, what's your name kid?"

"I'm Luffy, nice to meet you Sabo."

"Introduce yourself; it is the nice thing to do since we wouldn't be eating this without Luffy here." Sabo said to Ace

Ace still rather annoyed, introduced himself

"I'm Ace, nice to meet you Luffy."

"Nice to meet you Ace." Luffy said

"Now was that so hard, I tried introducing myself yesterday but didn't get any response. Instead you just spat on me, which still was gross by the way"

All Sabo could do was laugh at the response Ace got from the boy, but very quickly stopped as Ace glared at him.

The three boys continued eating until there was nothing left but bones.

"So what now?" Sabo said

Luffy spoke up before either boy could get a word out

"Thanks for lunch; I am going to get back to my training." Luffy said

Luffy got up and began to walk into the forest completely at random

'5..4..3..2..1..' Luffy thought to himself as if he knew the two boys wouldn't be able to resist trying to find out what this little boy was going to go do.

Ace and Sabo looked at each other. Ace had a rather annoyed look on his face while Sabo had a rather perplexed look on his face. However both boys nodded their heads and without saying a single word to each other, they had agreed that they wanted to know more about this rather strange and powerful little boy.

Just as Luffy finished counting down in his head, Ace and Sabo stood up.

"Wait a minute" Sabo said

"Yeah" Luffy said

"Can we come and see what your training is like." Sabo said

"Of course" Luffy said with a big stupid grin on his face.

Luffy stood in place waiting for Ace and Sabo to catch up to him before the three of them began walking into the forest.


	4. Luffy teaches Ace and Sabo

Ace and Sabo had been following Luffy for a little over half an hour at this point before Ace spoke up.

"Alright, where are you taking us."

"Oh anywhere around here should be good." Luffy said

"I was just kind of curious about how long you two would go without saying anything." "Shishishi." Luffy laughed

The two boys nodded at each other and hit Luffy on the head, leaving two large welts.

"That hurt you jerks." Luffy yelled in pain

"Well you could have said something earlier" Ace and Sabo yelled

"Fine, whatever." Luffy said

"Are you two ready to begin?"

"Yeah" both boys said

"Alright, do you two have any idea what I used on the boar back there?"

"No idea." Ace and Sabo both said

"What I used on the boar back there was called Haoshoku no Haki."

"Haoshoku no Haki" they tilted their heads and the two looked at the third boy confused

"That is what it is called, but I guess it really isn't fair of me to start off with this technique."

"Why is that?" Sabo said intrigued

"Well it is very rare for a person to be able to use this type of Haki, I think the number was one in a million can use this. But I guess there is no real way to find out if that is accurate or not."

Two things from that statement shocked the boys. The idea that only one in a million people could use the Haoshoku no Haki and "this type of Haki" implying that there is probably more than one kind to learn.

"Can you teach us how to use that Haki?" Sabo said

"No" Luffy said very bluntly

"No, what do you mean No?"

"I can't teach it to you because it is not one that you can learn to use."

"You can only learn to control it once you become aware that you possess it."

After those words the two boys became a little disappointed in not being able to learn such a cool technique. But then Sabo asked Luffy another question.

"You said this type of Haki, right?"

Luffy shook his head up and down.

"How many types are there?"

"There are three types of Haki."

"Only three" Ace and Sabo said

"Yes, only three but once you become proficient at using one or both of the other types of Haki you will realize you don't need the Haoshoku no Haki."

"Ok then, so what are the other types of Haki called?" Sabo asked

"The three types of Haki are called Kenbunshoku no Haki, Busoshoku no Haki and the type you have seen before Haoshoku no Haki."

"Everyone has the potential to use the first two. People often end up training one over the other. Often times it is because they can't learn how to use the other one. If someone can use both, more often than not they will pick the one that will complement their own skills and try to use it to balance their weaknesses. If you can learn both you will certainly be a match for most any opponent you come across."

Ace and Sabo didn't say a word they only stood there thinking about what Luffy said.

"Wow, you know a lot about Haki" Sabo said

"Don't give me too much credit; I am just repeating what my Master told me."

"Who is this master of yours and where can we find him?" Ace said

"I would rather learn from the Master instead of the student." Ace said annoyed

"You want to know where he is." Luffy said

"Yeah" Ace and Sabo said in unison

"Honestly, I have no idea where he is" Luffy said grinning, rubbing the back of his head

Ace and Sabo looked at the boy then looked back at each other. They then proceeded to hit the boy over the head again.

"Why did you do that? I wasn't lying when I told you I don't know where he is"

"Even if you wanted to look for another person to teach you we would likely be out of luck here in the East Blue."

"What do you mean by that?" Ace said

"What I mean is that it would be nearly impossible to find someone else to teach you. Not just in the East Blue or the other three Blues but also the first half of the Grand Line. You would likely have to wait to get to the second half of the Grand Line before you find someone to teach you."

"Really, this ability is that uncommon here?" Sabo said

"I really don't know if it is true or not. I am only telling you what he told me."

"Now before we start there is one more thing I need to tell you about Haki. There really is only one way to make your Haki stronger."

"Haki is the spirit of the user manifest, the only way to strengthen it is to get stronger both mentally and physically."

"Does that make sense?"

"Kinda" Ace said

"You will see eventually"

After that the two boys looked at each other not exchanging any words. They then shifted their glare to Luffy signaling they were ready to begin.

"Alright, are you ready?"

"Yeah"

"Well then, where do we start?" Sabo said eager

"Both are hard to learn and will take years to master but I am sure you will be able to learn."

"Which one would you guys like to learn?"

"Does it matter which one we start with?" Ace said

"Not really, both are difficult."

"Well then how about we start with Kenbunshoku no Haki?" Sabo said

"That sounds good to me." Luffy said

"Before I start teaching you I want to show you what you will be able to do someday."

"Ace, I want you to attack me with all you've got."

"Alright" Ace said kind of confused

"As a bonus I am going to close my eyes."

"Seriously?"

"Actually, just to make it clear I am going to be blindfolded while you attack me."

"You have to be kidding me right." Ace said

Luffy pulled out a long piece of cloth from his pocket and tied it around his head, covering his eyes in the process.

"Ok Ace, whenever you are ready go ahead."

Ace took his metal pipe and began to swing it at Luffy to no avail. Luffy was not only able to dodge each and every attack Ace threw at him. Luffy then began to call out which way Ace was going to attack before he did it.

"Swinging down at the right side of my head"

Just as Luffy said that Ace began moving the way he predicted. Again he ducked out of the way to avoid the attack.

"Sabo, I want you to attack me as well." Luffy said while Ace was still attacking

"Are you sure about that?"

"Absolutely"

"Alright"

"Sabo, let's give him everything we've got." Ace said confident that they would be able to hit him.

The two boys began attacking Luffy. Still neither one of them managed to hit the boy even a single time. The two boys kept attacking Luffy. After a while they had to stop as they were not making any progress and probably never would. At least not as they were.

"That is impressive." Sabo said

"I have to admit that would be very helpful in a fight." Ace said rather intrigued

"Ok, I think that is a good demonstration." Taking off the blindfold and holding it in his hand.

"So, who would like to go first?" Luffy asked the two boys

They looked at each other not really certain what was going to happen next. Reluctantly Ace stepped forward.

"I will go first."

"That sounds good to me." Luffy said

"Ok Ace, tie the blind fold around your head just like I had it."

Ace looked at him like he was crazy

"I mean you could do it without the blindfold but where is the fun in that."

"This training is meant to heighten your other senses."

"With enough training this Haki will allow you to sense the people around you, determine how strong an opponent is, as well as predict an opponent's moves like you have seen already."

"There is one other thing about this Haki before you start."

"Kenbunshoku no Haki will not make you any faster. You have to rely on your own speed to be able to actually evade an attack. If you are fast enough you may be able to defeat a user of this Haki even if they know how you are going to attack."

"After hearing all that what do you think Ace?" Sabo said

"I think it will be more effective to train with the blindfold on." Ace said reluctantly

Ace tied the blindfold around the back of his head and covered his eyes. After that the real fun for Luffy began.

"Ace, first thing I am going to do is have you spin around. Once you stop you are going to have to stand still before you begin walking around."

"Why would I do that?" Ace asked

"Because you are ok with your surroundings right now, correct?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Ace said hesitantly

"Well for this you can't rely on your eyes. So being blindfolded and not knowing which direction you are facing will force you to use your other senses to compensate for your lack of sight."

Ok with that Ace spun around. After a minute or so of spinning Ace stopped and stood as still as he could. Once he wasn't dizzy anymore he began walking. Luffy went over to talk to Sabo and told him to walk around and find somewhere to stand. Luffy did the same as Ace was walking around. Once in position Luffy began to talk to Ace.

"Ace I want you to picture the forest in your head." Luffy said

"Ok" Ace said kind of annoyed.

"Now that you have at least a vague idea of the layout of the forest I want you to find Sabo."

"What the hell are you talking about, how am I supposed to do that."

"Listen for changes in the wind."

"Sabo will be standing in place and his body will be redirecting the wind."

"Sabo you have to be quiet for this to work. He has to find you without listening for your voice." Sabo nodded

After a while Ace had made very little progress in trying to find Sabo.

"Ok, we are going to try something else."

"Sabo come here, I need to talk to you."

Luffy and Sabo talked for a minute before they separated.

"Ok Ace, are you ready for part two?"

"Whatever" Ace said

"Sabo is going to be throwing rocks at you"

"He is going to be doing what now?"

"Yeah, believe it or not this works."

"You know it's this or you sit on the ground and I whack you with a stick"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ace said really annoyed.

"What, my master did this to me and look how I turned out."

"Luffy you might not be the best example." Sabo said sweatdropping

"Really"

"Whatever just do what you want." Ace said

"Let's begin"

Sabo began throwing rocks at Ace. All that was happening was that Ace was getting hit each and every time with the rocks. He was not making any progress which wasn't a surprise at this point. Luffy figured he had had enough for now. So he told Ace that they were done with this for now and that he could remove his blindfold. Ace complied and took off the blindfold.

"Wow that is really difficult." Ace said looking at the two boys

"Of course it is" Luffy said

"It takes a lot of training before you can really put it to use and even more before you can use it effectively in battle."

"But also sometimes, a really tough fight is what will awaken it. You just never know how or when it will make itself known. Or if it ever will at all."

That statement disappointed Ace and Sabo a little bit.

"Come on don't worry, I have no idea when it will make itself know to you." Luffy said trying to cheer the two boys up.

"If it makes you feel any better I can tell that each of you has at least one of the three Haki's lying dormant within you. I just am not good at telling which one it is. I haven't exactly run across a lot of people here who can use it."

That made the two boys cheer up quite a bit.

In reality Luffy knew exactly which forms of Haki the two older boys had lying dormant inside of them. Ace has Haoshouk no Haki and Sabo has Busoshoku no Haki. He wanted to know if he could teach them at least one of the others. He wasn't going to tell which one they had. They would have to discover it themselves.

"Alright then on to Busoshoku no Haki" Luffy said enthusiastically

"This time it is Sabo's turn." Luffy said excited to see what Sabo would do.

"Sounds good." Sabo said.

"Ok, this one is going to be difficult to explain so I think I am going to have to show you."

"Follow me, we need to find a big rock or something to break." Luffy said

After about ten minutes wandering in the jungle they came across a large boulder.

"For this I am going to need either a stick or one of the pipes you guys carry around." Luffy said

"Here you can use mine." Sabo said

"Thanks Sabo."

Luffy turned to look at both boys before beginning his explanation.

"This type of Haki is used to create "armor" around your body." Luffy explained

Ace and Sabo looked at Luffy confused. This was becoming the norm for him today but was to be expected when trying to explain something new to people who didn't understand the concept.

"Ok, it really is just easier to show you than explain" Luffy said before he began the demonstration.

"Busoshoku Koka" was all Luffy said before his forearm turned black

"Wow that is really cool." Ace and Sabo said rather impressed

"It gets cooler."

Luffy took the pipe in his hand and focused before only some of it turned black.

"Ah come on" Luffy said disappointed

"What happened" Sabo said curiously

"The whole pipe was supposed to turn black"

"I guess I still need to work on that." Luffy said kind of irritated

"Well, I guess that is out of the question for now. So instead I will show you another way." Luffy said grinning.

Luffy's arm changed back to normal.

Ace and Sabo sighed they were looking forward to something cool happening.

"Don't worry, what I am going to show you something that is equally as cool. Also it will help with something I have yet to explain."

Luffy got into a stance and began speaking

"Gomu Gomu no…" Luffy began saying as his arm stretched out behind him.

Ace and Sabo fell on their butts surprised at what they were seeing.

…Pistol" Luffy continued as his arm came flying back with incredible speed even for a seven year old.

When his fist made contact with the boulder there was a large visible crack in it. However the boys were not as shocked at the crack as they were shocked that Luffy could stretch his arm.

"What the hell was that?" The two boys said shocked in unison as they got up and dusted off their back sides.

"Oh, what do you mean? The stretching?" Luffy said rather nonchalantly

The two boys nodded their heads furiously waiting for an answer.

"Oh that is easy."

"I ate the Gomu Gomu no mi and now I am a rubber man." For emphasis Luffy said this while stretching his cheek beyond what is physically possible.

"The Gomu Gomu no mi, isn't that a Devil Fruit?" Sabo said

"I thought they were just a rumor" Ace said

"Nope they are very real and there are lots of them all over the world."

"They aren't super common around here but there are a lot of people with Devil Fruit abilities on the Grand Line."

"Speaking of Devil Fruit abilities, learning Busoshoku no Haki is the best way to counter a Devil Fruit users abilities."

"That is aside from actually figuring out a particular fruit user's weakness."

"You certainly know a lot about the world outside of the East Blue." Sabo said

"Yeah, my master liked to talk a lot." Not entirely true but Luffy couldn't tell them he was a time traveler and had already lived this before, albeit different this time around."

"So I have one more thing to show you." Luffy said

Ace and Sabo could only wait with anticipation. Their worlds have been changed considerably in the course of just a single day.

"Busoshoku Koka" said for the second time, hoping that this would go better than last time.

"Gomu Gomu no…" Luffy said as he stretched his arm far behind him.

"…Pistol" Luffy continued as his arm came flying back at the boulder.

This time when Luffy hit the boulder it didn't just crack, it broke apart into dozens of pieces. All Sabo and Ace could do was stare in awe at what they had just seen.

"That worked pretty well." Luffy said grinning

Before Ace and Sabo could get a word out Luffy spoke up and said something else.

"I thought I should mention something about this Haki."

"Not everyone uses this Haki like I do. More often than not people use this Haki and 'equip' it to their weapons making them harder and more effective."

"My master said that there is an island where all the people who live on it can use this type of Haki."

"He told me that this group of people can use this Haki and have a simple arrow penetrate into solid stone."

"This Haki stuff has so many uses it really is incredible." Sabo said

"Okay Sabo, your turn to try this."

"Actually, Since this is really something you have to do on your own, Ace you could probably try as well."

"I think you two might be better off right now trying to get a visible manifestation of this Haki just so you can see as you make progress."

"That makes as much sense as anything else I heard today." Sabo said

"I will try it that way." Ace and Sabo said simultaneously

Sabo and Ace both tried to manifest their Haki like Luffy. They kept attacking random objects in the forest trying to get it to work. They kept going for some time but with no success.

"Well that is enough for today." Luffy said

"This is not something that you can master over the course of a day."

"It could take you years to become really good at it." Luffy said

"I still need lots of work to get better, and I am already pretty good at it."

"Just remember somewhere out on the ocean there is someone who is better at this than you"

"That is fair I guess the world is a pretty big place." Sabo said

"Sabo why don't you come live with Ace and me?" Luffy said hopeful that he accepts

"What do you think Ace?" Sabo said

"Do whatever you want to do." Ace said

"Well then it looks like I am going to be staying with you two." Sabo said and Luffy smiled his big goofy grin.

"We should bring back something for dinner." Ace said

Luffy couldn't help but drool at the thought of meat for dinner.

After finding a large deer in the woods the three boys knocked it out and tied it up. They carried it back to the mountain bandits to cook up for dinner. Back at the bandits hideout the three boys began talking. There Luffy learned of Ace and Sabo's dream of becoming pirates.

"You guys want to become pirates as well?" Luffy asked already knowing the answer

"Of course pirates are the people with the most freedom in the world." Sabo said and Ace nodded his head agreeing.

"That's awesome, because I am going to be a pirate as well." Luffy said

"Wait you want to be a pirate?" Ace said kind of shocked

"Of course I want to be a pirate." Luffy said

"I made a promise to the pirate who gave me this hat."

"Speaking of, who was the pirate who gave you that hat?" Sabo asked curiously

"Akagami no Shanks" Luffy said proudly

"What" was all the boys could say after hearing that name

"What was the promise that you made with Shanks?"

Luffy took off his and said "I promised him that as a great pirate I would give him his hat back."

Ace and Sabo thought about that for a few moments. At first they weren't sure what to think of that promise. They thought it sounded stupid but the more the thought about it the more they understood the meaning of the promise. The simple task of finding Shanks would not be easy on its own but standing face to face with Akagami would mean that he would have to become as strong as one of the Yonko. The two boys finally understood the meaning behind those words. Just before they were able to say anything Luffy opened his mouth and they were shocked by what they heard.

"I'm going to become King of the Pirates" Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs.


	5. Luffy tells Ace and the Fire

Over the course of the next few months the three boys became the best of friends. They would spend their days learning Haki from Luffy. Or they would go to Gray Terminal disguised in a very cliché manner. They would wear a long trench coat and the three boys would sit on each other's shoulders. Every so often they would find something to sell in the Town Center. Other times they would go into restaurants wearing the trench coat, eat lots of food and run away before paying the bill. Over the course of those months the boys had built a secret base in the woods. They would often spend days away from the mountain bandit's hideout at a time. Eventually they moved out of the bandit's hideout and lived in their ship like base. They even built a look out high up in the tree. They also raised a pirate flag with the traditional crossbones minus the skull. In its place was a red A, blue S &amp; yellow L in the center.

Over the course of their next trips into the Town Center to sell things they found to add to their pirate fund. While the three boys were walking around without the trench coat they happened to walk into Sabo's father, Outlook III. Later that afternoon the three boys were sitting under a tree on the coast looking out onto the ocean. Ace and Luffy had just found out that Sabo had been born into a noble family but did not like the life that had been planned for him.

"Ace!, Luffy!" Sabo stood up saying his friend's names

"The three of us have to set out to sea someday!"

"We'll get out of this country and be free!"

"I want to see the wide world, and write a book about what I saw!"

"If I have to study in preparation for the voyage, then that's no problem!"

"Let's get stronger, and become pirates!"

"I'd become one even if you didn't tell me to!" Ace said

"I will become a pirate, defeat everyone in my way and become known across the whole world!"

"That will be the proof that I lived!"

"I don't care if the world doesn't accept me…"

"No matter how much they hate me…"

"I'll become a great pirate and stand above everyone else!"

"I won't run from anyone, or lose to anyone!"

"I'll make sure the whole world knows my name even if it's through fear!"

"Well then…" Luffy ran up to the edge of the cliff and yelled out his dream

"I'm going to become King of the Pirates!"

Ace and Sabo were surprised that Luffy would still want to become the King of the Pirates.

"I can't wait to see what the future has in store for you Luffy!" Sabo said

"You know there is one problem about the three of us becoming pirates."

"We all want to be captain."

"I had not thought about that." Ace said

"I thought you would be my navigator Sabo."

"You guys can come with me on my ship!" Luffy said grinning

"No way" Ace and Sabo said simultaneously

Later in the woods the three boys were talking with three cups on a tree stump.

"We can decide our future later." Ace said

"The three of us might end up sailing on separate ships someday."

"Have you heard that when you exchange cups of sake, you become brothers?" Ace said while filling the three cups.

"When we become pirates, we might not be crewmates on the same ship but our bonds will keep us connected as brothers!"

"No matter where we are or what we do, our bond will not be broken!" Ace said picking up his cup.

"With this, starting today, we're brothers!" Ace said and the three boys brought their cups together.

One day after a storm while in Gray Terminal looking for wood to repair their hideout some pirates confronted Ace, Sabo and Luffy. The trio had put up a fight for a little while. But soon they had been grabbed which prevented them from fighting back. Outlook as well as some guards forced Sabo to go back to High Town with him or he would have his brothers killed. Even though Sabo had been learning from Luffy and practicing with Ace, their Haki still was nowhere where it had to be to defeat all of the people Outlook had brought with him to recover Sabo. Sabo begrudgingly agreed to return with his father as long as Ace and Luffy weren't hurt. After Sabo was gone the boys were alone and had a chance to talk.

"Luffy!"

"Why didn't we do anything to help Sabo?"

"What if we did beat up Sabo's dad, the guards and the pirates, what would stop them from bringing more people to fight us." Luffy said

"Sure we are stronger than all of them."

"But there is a limit, we are only kids" Luffy said knowing Ace is going to be mad at that response.

"Are you saying we can't handle them all?" Ace said furious at his little brother

"I'm saying we have to use our heads instead of just our muscles." Luffy said

During Luffy and Sabo's time reconnecting after everything was back to the way it should have been in Dressrosa, Sabo told Luffy about the night that was coming. Sabo told him how he met a man who turned out to be Dragon randomly in Edge Town after the fire was started in Gray Terminal. He told Luffy what he knew about ending up in Dragon's care after his ship was destroyed by the Tenryubito. Which wasn't much, Sabo told Luffy about the day he woke up in the infirmary of a ship covered in bandages. The person who had been looking after Sabo's wounds was a tall man with curly purple hair and a giant head, none other than the Okama Queen Ivankov. Iva told Sabo that he had been out for a few days after the explosion destroyed his boat and that they were heading for the Grand Line. He would later talk to Dragon who told him that he would be better off presumed dead for the time being and that he would be welcomed to join the Revolutionaries in their fight to change the world.

Sabo told Luffy that when he finally walked around on the boat he was surprised to see some familiar faces, he was shocked when he realized that they were from Gray Terminal. What Dragon didn't tell him was that he had saved most of the residents of Gray Terminal from dying in the fire. Sabo told Luffy that Bluejam was involved he really didn't know any of the details. What Sabo told Luffy next really pissed him off. Sabo told Luffy that all of the Nobles as well as the King up in High Town knew that there was going to be a fire. What Sabo told Luffy really made him hate nobility even more than he already did. Sabo said that they were going to be getting rid of all the trash for the Tenryubito's visit to Goa Kingdom.

The last thing Sabo told Luffy before the brothers departed from Dressrosa to go their separate ways for the time being was that he was glad things turned out this way. He would have rather become a pirate like Ace and Luffy but he did not regret his choice in becoming a Revolutionary. Luffy had a lot to think about but this was definitely the best path for Sabo. Luffy would have liked for Sabo to become a pirate but he had done so much good for the world even if the rest of the world didn't see it in the same light.

"Things are going to get very interesting around here and really soon." Luffy said cryptically

Ace hit him over the head

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ace screamed at his brother.

"Sabo can't be happy that he had to go back to his old life." Ace said angrily

"You are right about that Ace."

"Sabo isn't happy with what he had to do. But he did it to protect us."

Luffy could only hope that his interfering wouldn't change the past too much.

After the incident Bluejam the pirate captain hired by Outlook to find Sabo returned and began talking with the boys he had previously restrained. Being down a few men the pirate Bluejam wanted their help with a job. They really didn't have a choice. This fire had to happen whether Luffy liked it or not. The two boys agreed to help with the plan. It was easy all they had to do was carry boxes to various locations around Gray Terminal. Ace had no idea what was going on.

Luffy knew there was going to be a fire he had seen it already once before. After putting the pieces together something just clicked in his head after he remembered what Sabo had told him about Bluejam being involved somehow. He was furious when he realized what he had agreed to do. The boxes they were going to be carrying all around Gray Terminal would likely be full of explosives. They were going to be helping burn the place to the ground. Luffy kept his cool until the pirates and the boys had parted ways.

Once they were far enough away from Gray Terminal and back in the woods Luffy went ballistic. All Ace heard was the sound of trees shattering as they were being attacked by wave after wave of black fists. Ace knew that there had to be a reason for Luffy doing this. But he was going to have to let Luffy wear himself out. At his current level Ace was no match for Luffy when he was going all out like this. Almost an hour later the constant barrage on the trees and the landscape came to an end as Luffy fell down exhausted.

"Luffy, what's up?" Ace said concerned which was rare for him at this age.

All Ace heard out of Luffy was a constant heavy breathing, trying to catch his breath. While catching his breath Luffy was thinking that now would be as good a time as ever to tell Ace some of the details about himself and his future. He was also going to have to deal with a dumbfounded Ace as well as his reaction to telling him his brother was going to "die".

"Ace" Luffy said with his breathing finally under control and sitting up

"How do you think I got so good at Haki?" Luffy said not sure how Ace would respond

"You said you learned from your master, right?" Ace said confused

"That is right, but how old am I?" Luffy said

"How old are you?" Ace repeated the question confused

Before he could say anything Luffy spoke up.

"I am seven years old" Luffy said

"How do you think I am capable of using such advanced techniques?"

"Your master taught you."

"Yes, but when did he teach me?" Luffy said getting ready to tell Ace a little of his future.

"How the hell should I know?" Ace said annoyed at the questions

"Exactly, being seven years old I shouldn't know any of this. Yet here I am using the same forms of Haki Vice-Admirals and above use as well as the strongest pirates in the world."

"Is that true?" Ace asked rather surprised at where this conversation was going.

"Yeah it is" Luffy said

"When I first met you, you wanted nothing to do with me."

"The next day I show up and show you up. I reveal to you something that we have no business knowing here in the East Blue let alone at our ages."

Not sure where Luffy was going with this Ace sat down and let him continue.

"At first we hung out because you two wanted to learn from me, but the more time we spent together the closer we got. We even became brothers so that the sea wouldn't tear us apart someday when we set off on our own."

"In a matter of two days you learned about stuff it took me seventeen years to learn even existed."

"Luffy" Ace interrupted

"Wait, Did you say seventeen years?" Ace asked flabbergasted

"Yeah I did"

"Well that kinda makes sense."

"Sabo and I knew there was something different about you."

"We didn't know how to explain it."

"It was like you didn't quite belong here."

"You knew far too much about the world outside of the East Blue and Goa Kingdom."

"So tell me, how do you know about all of this?" Ace concluded

Kind of shocked that they could tell, Luffy began talking again

"I know so much about the world because I have lived this once before."

Ace looked at him dumbfounded, that was not the reason he believed was coming

"I made a wish to come back to this time to change a few things."

Ace couldn't believe what he was hearing

"You went back in time to change a few things?"

Ace said then thought to himself for a few moments before he began to ask Luffy questions

"When are you from? Why would you do something so crazy? Why would you give up everything you have worked for up to that point and simply throw it all away? What did you lose that made you want to come back to this time?"

"I expected you to have questions, so I will answer them the best that I can."

"I am from thirteen years in the future."

"I did this because I wasn't happy in my time."

"I gave up everything because I believe that I can do it all again, this time I will be stronger so that I can protect those close to me."

"Someone very close to me"

The first answer shocked Ace. The second answer was very straight forward typical Luffy. The third answer surprised Ace. The final answer was mysterious but Ace could see the hurt in his eyes when he said those words.

"Thirteen years"

"Someone very close to you"

"In your future you are what, twenty years old?" Ace asked

"Yeah, that is right" Luffy said

"What is my future like?" Ace asked curiously

"What you want me to spoil it for you?" Luffy said trying to hold back the tears that were forcing their way to the surface when he thought about Ace's death.

Ace noticed that something was wrong and dropped the subject knowing that it must be a very personal one, something he didn't like talking about. Luffy was relieved for the time being.

"Ace" Luffy said no longer trying to hide the fact he was getting upset.

"There are things I will tell you when the time is right."

"What you do with that information is up to you" Luffy said

"Well, when do you plan on telling me?"

"Like I said, when the time is right I will tell you."

"So you know what is going to happen here in the next few days?"

"Yes, I do."

"That is why I was destroying the forest; I still don't know what the right thing to do is."

"Alright then, tell me what is going to happen here in the next few days." Ace asked genuinely curious about knowing how the problem with Sabo would turn out. He was not ready for what he was about to hear. He soon would understand why Luffy went on that rampage.

"Tomorrow we are going to carry out Bluejam's plan and we are going to be moving crates of explosives that will be ignited tomorrow night. The fire from all of those explosives is going to engulf Gray Terminal and it will burn to the ground."

"Come on Luffy, that isn't funny." Ace said

"Don't go making stuff up just cause you think I will believe it." Ace said annoyed and worried that the words out his brother's mouth were nothing but a lie.

Ace looked at Luffy whose expression hadn't changed in the slightest since he mentioned Bluejam and Gray Terminal burning.

"As much as I wish I was lying this is the truth. This is really going to happen."

"That is the reason Sabo's dad came to get him. He didn't want his son to die."

"Well that is almost nice of him." Ace said trying to find a positive in the matter at hand

"All of the Nobles as well as the King know that Gray Terminal is going to burn."

"They planned it themselves." Luffy said really pissed off

"They are getting a pirate like Bluejam to this start the fire so that they can place the blame on him and keep their hands clean."

"They are getting rid of all the "trash" in the kingdom." A friend told me all about it last year.

Ace looked shocked and disgusted that somebody would do that to another person.

"They are doing all of this to impress a Tenryubito."

"What is a Tenryubito?" Ace asked curiously but being careful as this seemed to another touchy subject.

"The short version is that a Tenryubito or World Noble sees all the people of the world as less than human. They think we are here to do with as they please." Luffy said his temper rising

"On the Grand Line right now people are being kidnapped and they are being sold off as slaves to the Tenryubito."

"The government just looks the other way, they pretend not to notice that on a certain "island" at the end of the first half of the Grand Line there are Human shops all over the island."

"You can't do anything to these bastards. If you do anything to them the government sends an Admiral after you."

Luffy stopped there; he could see Ace was even more disgusted at those "people" than he was at the nobility of this country.

"All of this is going to happen and we are going to be a part of it, we are going to help?" Ace said disgusted in what he had unknowingly agreed to.

"Yes, that is true." Luffy said rather emotion less and disgusted in himself for helping with this cruel plan

"However there is a bit of a silver lining to this." Luffy said, the hope returning to his face

"That friend who told me that the Nobles knew all about this."

"He was told by the survivors that when they were stuck with nowhere left to go a strange wind created a path for them to follow to a ship that would get them to safety."

"We really have no idea how many people live here, as horrible as it sounds there will be people who will not survive tomorrow night."

"This friend of mine is going to play a part in the events that unfold tomorrow night."

"Luffy, who is this friend of yours?"

"He has to live in this country or he would not be able to play the part you said he is going to."

"You wouldn't like it if I told you who it was." Luffy said looking down at the ground

From that Ace had a terrible feeling he knew who it was.

"Luffy, don't tell me it's Sabo."

Luffy continued to look down at the ground while trying to avoid eye contact with Ace. That was all Ace needed to confirm his worst fears.

"The three of us are all going to be involved aren't we?" Ace said rather calm for what he had just heard

Luffy just shook his head up and down

"Is that why we had to let Sabo go with his father?" Ace asked

"Yeah" Luffy said

"I don't know what would happen to us or him if he hadn't gone with his father."

"We are all going to make it through this no matter how bad it seems."

"However I am sure you are going to hate me for my decisions later." Luffy said cryptically we will have to see how things play out.

With that the boys went back to their hideout to get as much sleep as they could. They weren't going to sleep well tonight with all of the things that were going to happen tomorrow.

Well the next morning came and things had stayed relatively the same, aside from Luffy telling Ace about what was going to happen later in the day. Like last time they helped move the crates around Gray Terminal. Unbeknownst to Luffy, Sabo's night had stayed exactly the same as last time. Luffy and Ace hated not being able to help their brother. However their best chance for things to turn out like last time was to follow as close to the plan as they could. They didn't tell any of the residents nor did they make it apparent to Bluejam's crew that they knew what they were moving for them. Everything had gone according to plan.

Later that night the fire started and the giant gate that connected Gray Terminal to Edge Town was closed preventing the "trash" from making their way into the city. It also technically prevented the gigantic inferno from spreading further into the kingdom. As far as Luffy knew the whole tragedy had been duplicated. He really wouldn't find out about the people from Gray Terminal until he hopefully met up with Sabo again someday. It may or may not be in Dressrosa since both brothers unknowingly showed up to win Aces fruit that had reappeared after his death. He could only hope that the weapons Doflamingo was selling would be enough for him to see Sabo again.

Luffy knew that he had to prevent himself and Ace from getting captured by Bluejam and crew. So they got out of Gray Terminal as the fire had started to spread. They made it back to the mountain bandits hideout before Dadan did anything foolish and went looking for them like last time. This meant that Ace wouldn't discover his Haoshoku no Haki yet but Luffy knew he would find some other way to help him draw it out.

The few days before the Tenryubito's arrival passed and they had not heard anything from their brother. Luffy figured that the next time they would hear from Sabo would be in the letter he is going to send or in 12 years in Dressrosa, It would probably be no sooner than that.

Finally the day arrived when the Tenryubito would arrive at Goa Kingdom. Luffy had gotten up early to make sure he made it to the port Sabo told him he left from. There he saw all of the people eagerly awaiting the arrival of the "people" he hated so much. Luffy pretended not to notice that Ace had followed him to the port.

Finally the Tenryubito's ship was in sight. Everyone was surprised to see a ship sailing out into the open ocean. Ace and Luffy were now standing side by side as Ace knew he couldn't hide his presence from Luffy. They were surprised to see the officials making such a big deal out of such a small vessel going out to sea. They tried all they could to get the ship to turn back but to no avail. The people were just worried about the little ship ruining the ceremony.

The next thing that happened made everyone cringe. A shot was fired from the government ship crippling the small fishing vessel and setting it on fire. Not long after a second shot was fired from the huge government ship. This shot destroyed the boat leaving it in large chunks floating in the ocean. The next thing Ace and Luffy heard disgusted them. All the people were worried about was the Tenryubito would be angry. Nobody cared about the wreckage of the ship the small boy was on.

"Luffy, don't tell me."

"Was Sabo on that ship?" Ace asked fearing the worst.

"Yeah, he was the one sailing out to sea." Luffy replied ready for whatever Ace was going to throw his way.

"This next answer is going to determine what I do next Luffy."

"So tell me, do you sense Sabo among the wreckage?"

Luffy stood still as he searched the waters around the wreckage. The next words out of his mouth would be some of the most important he would say for years to come.

Luffy stood there with tears in his eyes as he replied to Ace. Ace saw the tears and feared the worst. But he was glad when heard words finally come out of the younger boys mouth. "He is alive." That was all he said as he began crying tears of joy. Last time he had to rely on Dogra for the news that Sabo's boat had been destroyed by a Tenryubito. He was glad that he was able to see it first-hand this time.

They stood there for a while as the crowd died down and eventually disappeared. They stayed in that spot monitoring an unconscious Sabo. Hours passed neither boy saying a word. Finally day turned into night and as they were getting ready to leave they felt a strong wind propel a small rowboat across the water, pick something up and take off. All the while Luffy had been using his Kenbunshoku no Haki. He had sensed someone familiar. He still had not gotten the chance to get to know his dad but he had finally met him on an island somewhere half way through the New World. After the boys saw the boat appear and vanish Luffy finally spoke up.

"Ace, Sabo is going to be ok."

"Are you sure Luffy?" Ace asked full of hope

"I sensed two people in the boat that disappeared."

"One was an unconscious Sabo and the other was my dad."

"Your dad?" Ace said very confused

"Not here Ace, Let's go."

"Since when did you think you could boss me around?"

"Whatever, we need to get out of here."

After the two boys made it a safe distance into the forest they began talking.

"Ok Luffy, tell me who that was?"

"Who picked up Sabo?"

"His name is Dragon."

"He is my dad."

"I will tell you more someday, I don't think he has made a name for himself yet."

"Someday that name will be known around the world." That was the last thing the boy said before they started to head back to the mountain bandits hideout.

On the way back Luffy was thinking

'Sabo was safe and sound with Dragon. I hope that this was for the best? I knew that Sabo had worked hard and accomplished a lot after his boat was destroyed by that Tenryubito the first time. I only hope things turn out as well this time around for him. It would have been amazing to see what he would have done as a pirate but I wouldn't feel comfortable changing the future that much.' Luffy thought to himself

"Luffy" Ace spoke up

"Did Sabo become a pirate the first time?" Ace asked trying to find the right words. Time travel was a pain to ask about.

"No, he didn't become a pirate" Luffy said

"So, what did he end up doing?" Ace asked curious about how his brother would turn out

"He ended up following my dad and made a name for himself that way."

"Do you know about any of the adventures he went on?" Ace asked

"I know only about one because I was there with him, we didn't have time to catch up and exchange stories about the adventures he went on." Luffy said

"Could you tell me about the adventure you went on with Sabo?"

"What I can tell you is that we stopped a weapon smuggler and returned the rightful king to his thrown."

"I thought you hated kings."

"I don't like rulers who hurt their people."

"This king was kind to his people."

"He is only of a few kings who really deserve to be where he is."

"Don't worry Ace, Sabo is going to become a great fighter under Dragon"

Luffy said trying to change the subject.

"We have to improve your skills in Haki."

"We promised Sabo that we would set out on our seventeenth birthday's right?"

"We have seven years. That is plenty of time for you to improve considerably."

"I have ten more years. This is going to be fun."

The next morning the two boys began to spar. Luffy didn't use his full strength at first. But soon he realized that Ace would be better off sparring against someone stronger than himself. After a year Ace had learned that he had the Haoshoku no Haki. He still had a ways to go before he could really control it and use it near any people. The boys continued on training for six more years after that. During that time Ace had learned to use Busoshoku no Haki and he was pretty good at it. He still couldn't figure out how to use Kenbunshoku no Haki. During those years Garp would irregularly drop in to see how his grandson and adoptive grandson were doing. He would train the two boys when he had time off. Ace and Luffy did their best to hide their Haki training from Garp. However after a few trips Garp had discovered that they learned to use Haki. He did really care how they learned it. With Luffy and Aces understanding of Haki Garp's "training" sessions got harder. All in all he was glad to see his grandsons learning Haki so young. He still believed that they would be fine Marines someday.

During their seven years they would go into the mountains and hunt for food. Only one of the boys had to go and get food but the other would still tag along to help carry back the animals they had killed. They would still go to Gray Terminal every once and a while to find things to sell. They would still go into town and dine and dash as they did when they were kids. Only now the two growing teens would eat so much some places were forced to close for the rest of the day or sometimes even the rest of the week.

Finally after Aces seventeenth birthday it was time for him to set off and see the world. Luffy had told him stories about his travels as a pirate, omitting the fact that he found the One Piece and became the Pirate King in his time. As Garp had brought Ace to Mt. Corvo in secret seventeen years ago he couldn't leave from the main harbor on the coast. Ace and Luffy had one final talk in the woods before he set off on his journey.

"Ace, one last thing before you go." Luffy said trying to warn his brother about the very person who would cause him so much pain.

"Yeah, what is that Luffy?"

"Watch out for Marshall D. Teach he also calls himself Blackbeard."

"I will, thanks Luffy"

"I am serious Ace, he is trouble. He may not seem like it but he is just biding his time. A good friend of mine told me all about him."

Luffy was talking about Marco and some of the other Commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates. Luffy became good friends with them after they met up in the New World just by accident on the island where Ace's and Whitebeard's graves were located.

"Alright Luffy I will be careful around him."

"But I can't be too careful we are pirates after all."

"That's all I ask as I can't tell you all the details."

Ace and Luffy finished their conversation and walked over to the cliff where a boat was ready for Ace. Ace climbed down into the boat and got ready to leave.

"Take care, Ace"

"Sure! See you later, Luffy! I'll be going on Ahead!"

"Right! And when I set out to sea myself in three years, I'll be much stronger"

"Nihahaha" Ace laughed and pushed the boat away from the cliff face

As Ace was sailing away the bandits and Makino were waving goodbye. Woop Slap was there as well but he was just standing there grouchy.

"Just you wait! I'll make a name for myself real soon!"

With those words Ace set off from the coast at the base of Mt. Corvo.


	6. Luffy went back in time?

**So this chapter was originally split in two. But I figured that it would better as a whole. **

Early in the morning three years after Ace left on his journey it was finally Luffy's turn to begin his journey, again. Luffy was getting ready to leave Foosha Village. But before he left he went to say thank you to the bandits who had looked after him for ten years. A little while later Luffy went down to the docks and got on the boat that would begin his adventure all over again after ten more years of waiting. Once more he was seventeen years old, but this time he had the knowledge of his twenty year old self. He hoped that his friends would come along on this journey of his again one more time.

As Luffy set off from Foosha Village he waved goodbye to the people who were there to wish him luck. Not long after leaving the dock Luffy encountered the King of the Coast. Just like last time he defeated the King of the Coast with a single punch. After defeating the sea king and journeying into the wide open ocean he began to wonder about his crew. He began to wonder about the crew he left behind on Raftel. He also wondered about the crewmates he has yet to meet this time. He thought about the friends he would have the pleasure of getting to know all over again.

He knew that his friends wouldn't remember their time together and he had come to accept that. He would be starting from scratch just like his first time through. However this time knowing about all the people he had grown so close to he figured it would be easier to convince them to join. He knew that he would have to hold back a little bit while fighting some of his old adversaries of the East Blue and early on in the Grand Line. He figured he might not get a real challenge until he fights Rob Lucci of CP9. Those names still made him cringe. Just thinking about what the government put Robin through made him furious.

He was glad that his friends wouldn't know about what he had done in order to save the brother that he admired so much. He was glad that even though his friends had to go through their ordeals all over again, he took a strange comfort in knowing that they didn't know they had to go through it for a second time.

Now as Luffy begins his journey again, we take a step back into the past ten years or the future four years or so however you want to look at it. Either way this is just after Luffy had made his request of the ghostly figure inside the lamp to be sent back into his own past and disappeared.

"Has anyone seen Luffy?" Usopp said

"No, haven't seen him for a little while now." Sanji said taking a drag of his cigarette

"It has been quiet for a while now." Nami said

"What kind of trouble could he have gotten himself into?" Nami asked a little concerned

"We have nothing to worry about we are the only ones on this island." Robin said

"I saw him go into the cave a while ago, but he never came back out." Zoro said taking a drink of sake

"Why didn't you say so sooner baka marimo."

"Shut up ero cook."

The two began fighting like usual. And like usual it was ended just as quickly. Nami stopped the idiots like she does all the time by just hitting them on their heads leaving large bumps.

"Well since we know where he is, let's go look for him." Nami said

"Should we split up into groups?" Franky asked

"We shouldn't have to but it may be a good idea once we get inside the cave" Robin said

"The Sunny should be safe." Nami said directed at Franky

"Do you think we should go get some baby Den Den Mushi?" Usopp asked

"That is not a bad idea but, I don't think we will need them."

"Should I go get some rope for the stray marimo so he doesn't get lost?" Sanji asked

"I don't get lost."

"Of course you don't." everyone said sarcastically

"We will make sure Zoro doesn't get lost" Usopp and Chopper said volunteering

"Fine" Nami said

"Well, are we all ready to start looking?" Nami asked

"Yeah" Everyone yelled

The Straw Hat Pirates headed for the cave where the One Piece was resting. They followed the twisting caverns and made it into the treasure chamber without losing anyone specifically Zoro. They were still amazed by the mountains of gold, silver, and jewels.

"Let's split up and look around. Meet back here in thirty minutes." Nami said

They split up into groups of two and began looking around. Nami went with Robin, Zoro with Brook, Franky with Sanji, finally Usopp with Chopper. After looking around for a little while Usopp and Chopper came across a mysterious lamp. Unfortunately the other six straw hats came up empty. They found plenty of interesting jewel encrusted objects, just nothing indicating where their idiot captain went. Six of the Straw Hats regrouped near the entrance to the cavern after the allotted time. However Usopp and Chopper didn't make it back in the thirty minutes. The six Straw Hats went looking for their friends and they were surprised to find Chopper and Usopp sitting on the floor talking about what they found.

"I can't believe it." Chopper said

"I know right, it looks just like the lamp from that story book." Usopp said.

The six remaining Straw Hats interrupted Usopp and Chopper's conversation.

"Why are you guys just sitting there talking?" Nami asked the two annoyed

Usopp stood up and showed the lamp to the rest of the crew.

"What are we looking at Usopp-san?" Brook asked

"Do you guys remember that story book I showed you a while back about the ghost trapped in the lamp that grants wishes?" Usopp said

"Yeah, what's your point?" Sanji asked

"Well I think we just found it." Chopper said

"Are you saying that you think that this is the lamp from that story?" Robin asked

"Yeah, I do." Usopp said very sure of himself.

"You know that story is just based on a legend." Nami said

"Well aren't all legends based in at least some truth?" Usopp asked looking at Brook

"What, you mean me Yohohoho?"

"You did spend fifty years in the Florian Triangle." Franky said

"That is more than enough time for legends to spread." Robin said

"Well I guess there is only one way to find out if it is real or not." Usopp said

He began to rub the lamp. At first nothing happened. However after a few moments smoke started flowing out of the front of the lamp. Soon a ghostly figure hovered in front of them.

"You can't be serious." They all yelled, surprised to say the least

"I can't believe it's true." Zoro said his one good eye wide open.

"Thank you for freeing me from my lamp." The ghostly being said

The ghost looked around and got a familiar feeling, the people before him were the same people he sensed on the beach earlier today enjoying themselves.

"Oh my, are you the nakama of that Straw Hat boy?"

"We are, but how did you know that?" Nami asked

"I may have been trapped in that lamp, but I can still sense the people around the island."

"You are the first people to set foot on this island in two and a half decades or so."

"Well on to the matter at hand." The ghostly being said

"I assume since you rubbed my lamp you are looking for your friend?"

"Is that correct?"

"Yeah, that's right" Zoro said

"Well, I guess nothing has changed yet."

"What are you talking about?" A confused Sanji asked

"Do you know where our captain went?" Chopper asked concerned.

"Of course I know where he went, however it is more accurate to say I know what time went to." The ghostly being said

"what time he went to?" Said the straw hat crew

"Yes, your captain found my lamp and I appeared before him. I told him that I would grant him 3 wishes."

"He asked if I could bring the dead back to life. I told him I was unable to do that."

"He then asked if I could send him back in time. When I told him that I was able to do that his eyes lit up."

"Oh shit" Zoro said

"I can only guess what you are thinking, but do you have any ideas as to when I might have sent him?" The ghostly being said

"He couldn't have could he?" Sanji asked

"He didn't go back to Marineford did he?" Nami asked concerned

"No he went back much further than that."

"How much further are we talking?"

"He went back 13 years."

"HE DID WHAT?" Yelled the entire crew.

"I was able to create a portal through time and sent him back just by glancing at his memories of the time he wanted to go back to. I could tell that he was unhappy with how a few things turned out and he wished to correct them."

"I am sure you guys are aware of at least one of the things he was thinking about."

"Ace" was all the Straw Hats said still feeling guilty of not being able to help their captain when he needed them most.

"That is correct."

"There were a few other thing Luffy wished to change."

"Were you aware that Luffy believes he was responsible for Akagami losing his left arm?"

"We only knew that Luffy had a connection to Akagami, however he never told us the whole story. Neither one of them mentioned it when we met him not too long ago." Robin said

"Would you like to know what happened?"

"No." Zoro said bluntly

"It is not your place to tell us something about Luffy's past." Zoro said

The rest of Straw Hat crew nodded agreeing with Zoro even though they were curious.

"Is it safe to assume you guys met Sabo in Dressrosa?"

"If it has something to do with Luffy's past we would rather hear it from him." Sanji said before Zoro could say it again.

Zoro spoke up which surprised the rest of the Straw Hats

"Back on Dressrosa after Luffy got out of the Colosseum I remember him saying he thought he was dead. When I asked him who it was he was talking about he said it was his brother. At first I thought he was talking about Ace but that couldn't happen? He seemed to be happy even though he was crying."

"Without going into too much detail the way I understand it is that Luffy, Ace and Sabo were brothers. At least that is what Sabo told me when I met him." Robin said

"Ok, so we have a good idea why Luffy went back into the past. But we still don't know why he didn't tell us he was going to something this crazy." Nami said

At this point the eight remaining Straw Hats looked at the specter for answers.

"So now you want me to tell you what he was thinking." the specter said kind of annoyed

"Ok, fine"

"He didn't say it directly but I could tell he was worried about all of you."

"Without going into specifics he said that many of you have lived through events that he wouldn't have wanted you to experience all over again."

Robin thought about her years on the run from the government

Nami thought about losing Belle-mere and her years working under Arlong making maps

Brook thought about his years alone on a broken pirate ship floating through the ocean

Franky thought about when he had rejected his battle ships as his creations, the same ones that got his teacher Tom killed.

Sanji thought about starving up on the rock in the middle of the ocean with Zeff.

Chopper thought about Dr. Hiluluk

Zoro thought about losing Kuina

Usopp thought about losing his mother

They all had painful memories to varying degrees, but those moments in their lives shaped the people they would become.

After thinking about their pasts some of the Straw Hats started to cry namely Franky &amp; Brook.

"I am not sure if I am happy or sad Mugiwara thought about us that much, trying to protect us from living that difficult part of our lives over again." Franky said after he had finished crying.

"He said something rather intelligent that kind of shocked me. You know what why don't I just show you." He said. With that he put his hands on his head and a screen like portal appeared in front of the Straw Hats. Once that was all set the ghostly figures memories started playing.

'_You seem to be ready to go are you sure you don't want to say goodbye.' Luffy shook his head side to side_

'_I don't want to worry them, besides what would they think if they knew I was doing something so reckless. It would be impossible to send us all back to the same place anyway as no one but me on the crew is from Foosha Village, their minds would have nowhere to go. Besides they all have things they need to learn where they are from, what would happen to them if they suddenly found themselves in their younger bodies. Sure some would be glad having all their knowledge and skills from today. But knowing how things would go for them in the years to come. How would that change the present or the new future? What would they think of me? Sure some might be glad but I can only imagine what it would be like for Nami, Robin &amp; Brook. I don't want them to have to relive painful memories, all that loneliness, all over again. Knowing that I willingly made them relive their painful pasts would be too much for me, too much for them, I don't want them to hate me for a decision I am going to make that will affect them all. It will be better for them if they just don't remember. I did this all once. I can make it better for them all a second time around.' _

With that the memory stopped playing and the portal closed.

"Well what do you think?" The ghost asked

He couldn't see what was going on around him while he was projecting his memories of earlier that day. When he got a good look at the Straw Hats standing there he noticed that a good portion of them were crying to varying degrees. The only two who weren't visibly crying were Sanji and Zoro. But the ghost could tell that they were expressing themselves in their own way. Sanji was puffing on a new cigarette and Zoro was clutching his Wado Ichimonji.

"He is going through all of this again. He is going to help us all a second time and none of us are going to know that. We won't know what he has gone through. None of us will know what he will have to go through again. We won't be able to help to him." Nami said wiping the tears away from her eyes.

"He really is smarter than we give him credit for." Sanji said not trying to take a jab at a touching moment.

One by one the Straw Hats stopped crying, but they could all tell they were still shocked at what they had just seen.

"He did put a lot of thought into this." Nami said still rubbing her eyes.

"He has done so much for us and he is going to do it again. I won't accept that, I can't accept that. Isn't there something we can do?" Zoro spoke up still clutching Wado Ichimonji.

"Well technically he only used one wish so you do have two more." The ghost said.

"I can do the same thing I did to your captain two more times."

"Just letting you know that is an option."

"Can you give us some time to talk?" Zoro asked

"Of course this is rather difficult; I will give you as much time as you need."

"Thank you" Nami said and the eight pirates walked off to a nearby part of the treasure chamber.

"I for one do not want to let him be the only one to do this all over again. Imagine being in his position, knowing all of this stuff about each and every one of us." Zoro said

"What do you mean Zoro?" Usopp asked

"He is going to have all of these memories of us that we won't be able to share. Knowing him he is going to act exactly the same as he usually does. We are used to it now but think back to what we though of his personality when we first met him. I for one thought he was amusing but he could really get on your nerves sometimes. Now imagine someone who knows so much about you but can't just outright talk about events that you haven't brought up or events that haven't happened yet." Robin said trying make it as clear as possible

"Yeah, I for one don't want to forget all of the stuff we have been through with him. It has been difficult but look at where we are now. We are on Raftel we made it here and it was thanks to him that we are even together. We helped him complete his dream now he is helping us complete our dreams. How could we not do whatever was within our power to help our idiot captain." Sanji said

"If not for Luffy I would probably be dead"

"I would still be making maps for Arlong"

"I would probably be back in Syrup Village playing pirate."

"I would still be back on the Baratie"

"I would probably be back on Drum Island."

"I don't know where I would have gone after Alabasta"

"I would still be on Water Seven"

"I would still be in the Florian Triangle"

"It seems like it's unanimous, it sounds like we would do anything to help our captain." Nami said

"Yeah" was all they said as they began walking back toward the ghost.

They made their way back to the ghost

"You said you can send two more of us back the exact same way you sent out captain back?" Robin asked

"Yes, I can"

"What do you have to do to send us back?" Sanji asked taking a puff of his cigarette

"I will create a portal into the past from your memories. Your bodies from the past and your body from the present will merge together."

Some of the idiots thought about the failed docking attempt at Thriller Bark

"In other words your memories and knowledge you have retained up to today will be sent back into your past body while you retain some of your strength. Being younger will mean that you will only retain a percentage of your power. It will vary depending on how many years you go back into the past."

Now the pirates understood why Luffy didn't say anything to them and just jumped head first into adventure.

"He didn't want you to have to relive painful parts of your lives. He figured there would be some parts you would be better off not experiencing again."

"Even when he is doing something selfish like this he still puts a great deal of thought into how this would affect us." Nami said

"Can you tell how much time has passed for him?" Robin asked

"Well, looking at all of you I would say that he hasn't met any of you yet."

"What do you mean by that?" Sanji said

"I am just guessing based on your appearances and the way you carry yourselves."

"You forget I have all of Luffy's memories in my head right now."

"This is hardly an exact process. I am not really sure how long it would take for changes to make their way to this time."

"Seriously" Seven of the Eight Straw Hats said with shark teeth, Robin just chuckled

"So Straw Hats which of you gets to use the last two wishes?"

The eight remaining straw hats decided the only way fair way to determine who would get to use one of the two remaining wishes would be to draw straws. They tore a piece of paper into eight equal parts and marked two of them with red dots. Sanji held the bunch of eight pieces of paper. Once everyone had grabbed a piece they pulled away to reveal who would be making the remaining two wishes. It seemed like fate that the two to get the papers with the red dots were drawn by the people to join Luffy first.

Nami and Zoro had pulled the papers with the red dots

"Looks like Nami-san and the stray marimo are the winners." Sanji said

"Shut up ero cook." Zoro retorted in his usual fashion

The other Straw Hats were upset that they wouldn't be able to help their captain. He had done so much for them all.

"It seems fitting that the first two to join Luffy would be the two to pull the winning straws." Robin said

"I agree" Brook and Franky said simultaneously

"It pains me to say this but I would not be of very much help to Luffy-san as I was the last to join the crew"

"You traversed the Grand Line once I know you can do it again." Brook said

"It seems like anyone who joined the crew in the East Blue would be beneficial to Luffy." Robin said

"But we all have our own roles on this crew. It's not fair to say that just because four of us joined in the East Blue we would be any more helpful that anyone else." Nami said trying to make sure no would be upset with the results.

"You all seem like you genuinely want to help your captain with this endeavor" The ghostly being said

"Of course we want to help him." all eight remaining Straw Hats said

"He has done so much for us and we still haven't found a way to repay him for all that he has done for us." Nami said

"I think I know how you can all help your captain" the ghost said

"Really, how can we all help him?" Chopper asked enthusiastically

"Sending a person's mind and body back in time is very difficult to do."

"I know of a way for you all to help your captain without having to go back in time yourselves."

"It is really simple." The ghost began

"You all have something that you hold important to you? Correct?"

The eight straw hats nodded

"Well if you would allow me I can imprint your memories and knowledge into the items special to you and send that back in time. I can place items very precisely in the past. It is much easier to send an inanimate object back into time. A living person can be complicated."

After that explanation the seven other Straw Hats turned to Robin. She does spend a lot of time reading. They figured that she would at least be able to clarify what the ghost was talking about. Maybe she had come across something similar in one of the many books they see here reading.

"Would it be similar to an item like one of Zoro's swords being cursed? The item retains some of the person's spirit who possessed it. Except that this item isn't actually cursed."

Robin looked to the ghost for some sort of confirmation that at least she was on right track.

"That would be correct, for the most part."

"For this to work I need each of you to lend me an item of yours that holds significant personal value."

"It could be anything, as long as it is or was something special to you."

"Wait a second, If we give you these items and you send them back in time aren't they stuck there?" Usopp asked

"Normally yes, that would be the case. However for this I am just going to imprint your memories and knowledge onto the items. Once the item has served its purpose it will return to you here in your present."

"Once your past self has the item in their possession all of the memories and knowledge that were imprinted onto the item will become a part of them. However they don't just become available to you. They will "unlock" over time. But I can't be sure how long it will be before all of that information goes flowing into your heads."

"Do you all more or less understand?" The ghost asked

The eight straw hats nodded

"So for example, Chopper who uses his knowledge of medicine to make his rumble balls could take a giant leap forward in strength if he were able to make the ones he uses now?" Robin asked

"Yes that would be true, But…" the ghost was interrupted

"There is always a but." Usopp added trying to crack a joke

"Choppers Monster Point uses a lot more stamina than he might have when you first meet him. He might be able to learn to access most of his transformations without any rumble balls or maybe like now only need one to access his strongest form. It really is up to Chopper and how daring he is willing to be when this knowledge becomes available to him."

Quickly changing topics the ghost begins the next step to help the soon to be Straw Hats.

"Alright, so who has something important to them with them right now?"

"Me" said Zoro, Nami, Chopper, &amp; Franky said

"So the rest of you go back to you ship and grab an item that is sentimental to you."

Usopp, Sanji, Robin, and Brook left the cave and went back to the Sunny to get an item that was special to them. A half an hour later they were back and the ghost was ready to begin.

The important items to each Straw Hat are:

Zoro: Kuina's katana the Wado Ichimonji

Nami: Nojiko's gold bracelet

Usopp: His old slingshot

Sanji: His favorite knife from his years with Zeff

Chopper: Dr. Hiluluk's pink hat

Robin: An old journal from her mother

Franky: His sunglasses

Brook: His violin he has had for decades

"Now that you all have your items we can get started."

"I can only do one at a time."

"Who will go first?"

Zoro stepped forward with his most prized possession in hand. Zoro was more upset about this than he was willing to let on. He could only hope the specter was right and that his sword would return to this time.

"Keep the item in your hands and think of a time when you are alone and will notice something out of place; this should preferably be a time before you met Luffy."

The specter placed one hand on Zoro's head and one on the item in their hands. After a few moments the item vanished into thin air.

Nami stepped forward and repeated the process

Followed by Usopp, then Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky and finally Brook.

"Now that the items have been sent back in time it is only a matter of time now." The ghost said

So now we go back in time to four years or so before any of the Straw Hats met their future captain.

Zoro is sitting at a bar eating his lunch in Shells Town. All of the sudden a duplicate of Kuina's Wado Ichimoji appears on the counter in front of him. The real one is resting up against the bar. However the one in front of him is calling out to him. He puts one hand on the handle and the other on the scabbard of the sword. He draws the sword out of the scabbard to reveal the brilliant blade.

Nami is in the middle of the ocean somewhere trying to come up with her next plan of attack. She is working on coming up with the last portion of the money she needs to buy back Cocoyashi village back from Arlong. All of the sudden a shiny gold bracelet resembling the ones Nojiko wears appears on the map she has in front of her. Like Zoro it calls out to her, telling her to put it on. So she does.

Usopp is in the middle of the woods relaxing by himself after another one of his famous lying sprees. He looks off to his right and notices his slingshot on the ground. He looks in his bag and his slingshot is in his bag where he left it. He hears it calling out to him so he picks up the slingshot out curiosity and begins to pull it back the band as if firing.

Sanji is working on a stew and dicing up vegetables with his favorite knife in the kitchen of the Baratie. Looking up from dicing he notices an exact duplicate of the knife he is using. It is on the magnetic strip in front of him. He hears it calling out to him. He puts down the knife he is using and reaches for the new one and begins dicing vegetables with it.

Chopper is in Drum Castle grinding plants he has collected for various medicines Dr. Kureha had taught him to make. He looks on the hooks near his desk and sees a pink and blue hat hanging there. He gets up from his work and goes to look at the strange hat he doesn't remember being there. Like the others it calls out to him. It is telling him to put it on. So he takes off his pink hat and puts on the pink and blue on.

Robin is alone reading in between missions for Baroque Works when she sees something she thought she had put away a long time ago. She puts her book down and reaches for the book with a gold NO on the spine. She can't resist and picks up the book, she begins flipping through the pages for old times' sake.

Franky is in the Franky House while his followers are off going about business on Water Seven somewhere. He notices the sunglasses that have appeared on the table he is sitting at. He looks at them and recognizes them to be his. He takes off the pair of sunglasses he is wearing and puts them on the table. Something is telling him to put them on this other pair. He complies with the mysterious request from nowhere.

Finally Brook. He is on the "Ghost" ship in the Florian Triangle. He is sipping a cup of tea from his cracked cup. All of the sudden his violin appears out of nowhere and is now just resting next to him. He instinctively picks it up and begins playing not remembering he didn't bring his violin outside with him.

One by one the items belonging to the future Straw Hats appear in the possession of their younger counterparts. They all felt something strange come over them when they noticed the items that had appeared out of thin air. The items once touched began the process of imprinting the memories and knowledge of their future selves into their younger minds. Once the process was complete and the items had fulfilled their intended purpose the items began to fade and not long after disappear altogether.

Once the items were gone and the younger soon to be Straw Hats had a little time to process all that had happened they felt something strange come over them. They had all of these thoughts racing through their heads. And one man was at the center of those thoughts. It was the young man who would become their captain, the man who would take them to the end of the Grand Line, the man who would become the King of the Pirates, more importantly he was the man who would bring them together and give them a place to belong, a place where they would not be judged for their past or past decisions.

There was also a longing to help a man they hadn't met yet but soon would. This man would change their lives. They felt inclined to join this man on his journey. Despite all their reasons not to they would do so because there was just no arguing with this idiot. Once he had decided on something there would be no changing his mind. Some of the soon to be Straw Hats began to get emotional for reasons foreign to them. They didn't understand the significance of the events playing in their minds. There was no way they would understand for some time. Almost as if finally remembering all of the things they have yet to do they call out to the man who would lead them to the end of the Grand Line and eventually to the end of the New World.

Zoro: "Luffy"

Nami: "Luffy"

Usopp: "Luffy"

Sanji: "Luffy"

Chopper: "Luffy"

Robin: "Luffy"

Franky: "Mugiwara"

Brook: "Luffy-san"

Some of the soon to be Straw Hats had to wipe the tears away from their eyes. They weren't sure why but they figured that they should not mention a single word of what just happened to anybody. And then just like that they couldn't remember why they were upset or what they had just learned. It was all gone. Along with the name of the man who would change their lives one day very soon. With the mysterious items gone the soon to be nakama got back to their lives. Or at least they tried. They just couldn't help but think that something very strange but very important just happened and that event would change their lives forever. Something in their minds was telling them that their lives were going to get interesting real soon and there would be no turning back after that. They realized that they were soon going to go on journey of a lifetime with friends that would be the next best thing to an actual family, dysfunctional as it may be.

Back in the cave on Raftel the Straw Hats personal items were beginning to reappear one by one. First Zoro's sword, followed by Nami's bracelet, then Usopp's slingshot, Sanji's knife, Chopper's hat, Robin's journal, Franky's sunglasses, and finally Brook's violin.

"Wow, the ghost was right our stuff came back." Nami said

"I am glad to have my sword back." Zoro said

Everyone nodded agreeing with Zoro.

"There would have been hell to pay if it got stuck in the past." Zoro said

"I am glad that all of your items made it back safely." The ghost said

"What now?" Franky asked

"What now? That is a good question." The ghost asked

"What do you mean?" seven Straw Hats said angrily with shark teeth minus Robin who was just laughing at the whole situation

"Well I don't do this that often so I am not sure what is going to happen next."

"Do we have any more wishes left?" Nami asked

"Technically you do have two wishes left since none of you actually wished for me to do this."

"Really, we do?" Chopper asked

"Technically yes you do, but I used the energy I would have used on your two wishes to send your items back in time with your memories and knowledge. I don't have the strength for your wishes anymore."

"How long will it be until you recover your strength?" Usopp asked

"That is a good question. It has been centuries since I have used all of this power."

"CENTURIES" The Straw Hats yelled in unison even Robin

"How long have you been in that lamp?" Usopp asked

"Oh, I would say around 800 years or so."

"What" they all said

"I was a human just like you. I remember having to do something important but that is all. I don't even remember my name."

"I am sure that one day I will remember who I was and what I was supposed to do. But I have a feeling that I am already too late."

"Well that was depressing" Usopp said

"Bastard" was all Sanji said as he kicked him in the head.

"I hate to change the subject, but can you create a portal into the past for us?" Nami asked

"I can't send you back if that is what you are asking."

"No of course not, I was just wondering if we could see how Luffy is progressing on his journey." Nami said

"That, I can do."

"Thank you"

With that the ghost grabbed the air in front of him and tore open a large window into the past. Through it they could see Luffy defeating a small sea king. They all watched on as Luffy went forward for the second time.

* * *

horacionquinter0: I try to update around once a week. It will likely be anytime from friday to sunday.

asluffy: I will try to change stuff up from the manga. I hope this chapter will kind of give you an idea of what i am planning.


	7. Luffy meets Coby again

Back with Luffy after he just effortlessly defeated the sea king and is sailing out to sea.

"That was just as easy as last time."

"I guess I can relax for a little while."

"I may not have any navigational skills but using my Haki should work just as well."

Relaxing in the sun floating where ever the currents were taking him Luffy was scanning the waters using his Kenbunshoku no Haki. After a while Luffy sensed two ships full of people in the distance.

'That is them, that whirlpool should be around here somewhere. Better get ready.' Luffy thought

Luffy finishes off all the food in the barrel and seals himself inside for the ride. Instead of falling asleep like last time Luffy does his best to stay awake but to no avail. He had gotten pretty adept at using his Haki while asleep over the past ten years. Now he can find out what's going on around him at all times. Not long after he sealed himself inside the barrel he found himself going for a little ride. His boat had sunk but mysteriously Luffy made it out of the whirlpool again unharmed like riding the white strom. The next thing Luffy knew he was being hauled out of the water and onto a ship.

In the galley three Alvida pirates find our favorite cabin boy trying to steal a barrel of liquor

"What do you think you are doing? You weren't hiding again?" the large pirate in the striped shirt asked

"No, I was just trying to move this barrel of liquor but it's to heavy." Coby said

"We'll help you lighten it, we're thirsty."

"What if Alvida-sama finds out?"

"She won't as long as you keep your mouth shut"

The large pirate in the striped shirt stood up the barrel and cracked his knuckles ready to break open the lid. However just like last time he doesn't get the chance.

"I slept great" Yelling and punching the large pirate in the jaw

"What the hell?" the other two pirates said

"Who are you guys?"

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"

"He'll catch a cold if he sleeps there."

"It's your fault"

The two conscious pirates pull out their swords

"You bastard" the shortest of the three said

The two pirates took out their swords and try to scare Luffy but it didn't work

"Stop screwing around don't you know we're pirates?"

"I'm really hungry, got any food?" Luffy asked a scared Coby ignoring the other two pirates

"Listen to what I'm saying!"

"You brat" the tallest pirate says

The two pirates swung their swords over their shoulders getting ready to attack Luffy

"DIE" one pirate yells as the two attack Luffy with their swords

"Buso" Luffy said quietly and his hands turned black

Not turning around Luffy catches the swords in his hands, and effortlessly snaps them in half and drops them on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Luffy asked the pirates, his hands back to normal

"Who are you?"

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy. Nice to meet you!"

The pirates ran out of the room dragging their unconscious comrade across the floor

"What…what just happened?"

"What's with them?"

"Hurry up and run, when they come back with their friends you'll be killed!" said a scared Coby

"Don't worry about me"

"Anyway I am hungry, got any food around here?"

"How can you say that so calmly?"

"There are a lot of pirates on deck"

Luffy began walking away looking for food, Coby was trying to stop Luffy, to no avail. This time Luffy had no trouble pulling Coby along with him. After a few minutes searching Luffy found the food storage.

"Food! Food! Food!" Luffy began running around the small room

"They might not find us in here" Coby said

"I'm Coby, and you're Luffy-san, right?"

"That was amazing! How did you break those swords?"

"Is this a pirate ship?" Luffy said ignoring the question

"No this is a passenger ship. But it is being attacked by the lady pirate Alvida-sama."

'Alvida, why does that name sound familiar?'

'Oh well I am sure it will come to me.' Luffy thought

"Are there any boats on this ship?"

"There should be a few on board."

"That's good my boat got sucked into a whirlpool."

"What, you should be dead!"

"Yeah, it really surprised me."

"Are you a pirate?"

"I got on a boat to go fishing one day but got on the wrong boat. The boat I got on was going back to a pirate ship. That was two years ago."

"I've been their chore boy ever since."

"Man you're an idiot!"

"Why don't you run away?"

"I can't. I get scared just thinking about Alvida-sama finding out."

"Coby, what is your dream?"

"My dream?"

"Yeah"

"My dream is to become a marine and catch bad buys like Alvida-sama"

"Luffy-san what is your dream?"

"My dream is to become King of the Pirates"

"Pirate King"

"That means you are a pirate?"

"Yeah"

"Crew?"

"I don't have one, looking for them now." Luffy said smiling

"The Pirate King is someone who has everything in this world!"

"Wealth, Fame, and Power"

"That means you are looking for the One Piece"

"yup"

"All the pirates in the world are looking for that treasure!"

"Me too"

"That means you would have to stand at the top of this Great Pirate Era!"

"It can't be done impossible, impossible!"

"Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible!"

"Ouch, why did you hit me?"

"Felt like it"

"I made a promise to the owner of this straw hat that I would gather a crew and become a great pirate."

"You know Coby I am fighting for my dream. If I die trying to achieve my dream I am ok with that."

"Are you ready to die fighting to achieve your dream?"

"Can I do it?"

"Can I become a marine?"

"It has been my dream to catch bad guys since I was a child?"

"How should I know?"

"I am going to do it. I am going to get out of here and catch Alvida"

Almost like clockwork the ceiling came crashing down.

"Making a friend like this, who are you going to catch Coby?"

"You're not the pirate hunter Zoro."

"Who's this big fat lady?" Luffy said

"BRAT" Alvida yelled swinging her club at Luffy. He easily dodged.

Luffy ran over to Coby

"Let's go" Luffy said and the two of them jumped out of the whole Alvida made.

Some of the pirates under Alvida's command began attacking Luffy.

He knocked them out effortlessly

Luffy ran from the horde of pirates behind him. While running he grabbed onto the mast of the ship and continued to run, arm stretching behind him.

All of the pirates chasing Luffy were shocked at what they were seeing.

Luffy stopped as he had run out of deck and turned around

"Gomu Gomu no…"

"Rocket"

Luffy jumped up a little and let himself be propelled back by his arm into all the pirates that had been chasing him.

"What" was all Alvida could say

"Luffy-san, what are you?"

"Me, I am a rubber man" Luffy said stretching both of his cheeks

"You ate a Devil Fruit?" Alvida asked

"Yeah, I ate the Gomu Gomu no mi."

"I've heard rumors but never thought they really existed."

"Are you a bounty hunter?"

"Nope, I am a pirate"

"Pirate? Just you?"

"It's just me right now, but I'll find a crew eventually. I think 10 people sounds good."

"So if you are a pirate that means we are enemies doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess it does."

"Lu… Luffy-san, run." Coby said scared

"Why would I do that?"

"You saw the power of that iron club didn't you?"

"This person is the most be…."

"The ugliest old hag!" Coby yelled to Luffy's amusement. Alvida's crew was terrified

"WHAT DID YOU SAY BRAT?"

"I'll join the Marines and fight pirates like you!"

"Do you even know what you are saying?

"Yes I do."

"I'll do what I want!"

"I am going to join the Marines and capture you!"

"You brat" Alvida said as she began to swing her club

"Well said!" Luffy said pushing Coby out of the way.

"Buso…" Luffy said and his head turned black.

Alvida swung the club but Luffy didn't move from that spot. The only thing that happened was that the club broke in half on impact with Luffy's head.

"Didn't work"

Alvida didn't say anything. She was shocked to see her club broken in half.

"Gomu Gomu no…" Luffy said as he sent his hand flying out above the water behind him

"Pistol" Luffy said as his hand came flying back to him at incredible speeds

Luffy's fist made contact with Alvida hitting her in the gut and sending her flying out into the ocean. The pirates who had made it back to Alvida's ship could only stand there mouths open wide, shocked at what they had just seen.

"Give Coby a boat he is going to join the Marines."

"Yes" was all the pirates could muster

All of the sudden cannon fire could be heard nearby.

"Time to go Coby!" Luffy said

"I don't think those marines will let you join right now."

"Ok" Coby said as he followed Luffy to a small boat.

They both got in and were then dropped into the water below.

Much to Luffy's surprise he saw one of his soon to be crew mates in the boat next to him.

Luffy out of instinct and not really thinking wrapped one arm around Nami's waist the other grabbed her treasure. He brought her over to the other boat and they got the hell out of there.

Nami wasn't sure what was happening, all of the sudden this strange boys arm stretched and grabbed her and her treasure. There was something familiar about this young man but she couldn't exactly figure it out.

The three of them got out of there as fast as they could.

A little while later, away from the Marines and Pirates out in the open ocean Luffy fell down in the boat tired from rowing for so long. Only was it then that the three could talk. Before then they were holding on for dear life as they were going so fast bucking up and down with the waves.

"Who the hell do you think you are grabbing a lady and scaring her half to death?" Nami said hitting Luffy in the head leaving a large bump.

"Ouch that hurt why did you do that?"

"You deserved it" Nami said sticking her tongue out at Luffy

"Well since there is no other boat nearby I guess I am stuck with you two." Nami said angrily

"So who the hell are you?" Nami said having calmed down a little

"This is Coby and my name is Monkey D. Luffy. Nice to meet you"

"My name is Nami"

"Did you say Luffy?"

"Yeah, I did. That is my name."

"Why?"

"No reason you just remind me of someone I know." Nami said puzzled at her own statement

"Well then, introductions out of the way. Where are we going?"

Nami pulled out a map of the area

"There should be a Marine base around here somewhere in a place called Shells Town." Luffy said

"How did you know that?" Nami asked

"Do you have any sort of navigational skills?" Nami asked

"None" Luffy said grinning

Nami whacked him over the head again

"Ouch that hurt"

"Well whatever that is as good a place as any I guess." Nami said

** Back to the future Straw Hats watching through the portal**

"Nami-san did that happen last time?" Sanji asked

"No it didn't"

"We both went our separate ways after landing in the water. We might have crossed paths in Shells town. But Luffy didn't introduce himself until we met in Orange town when he beat up some Buggy Pirates who were chasing me."

"Remember Zoro?

"That's where you and Luffy beat Buggy and his crew."

"Uh" was all Zoro could muster as he remembered what was going to happen next. He wasn't too happy that everyone was going to find out he was tied up. Only he and Luffy knew about this. He was okay with that but he wasn't going to be okay with this.

"You bastard, you could say more than Uh to our beautiful Nami-san" Sanji said

"Shut up you ero cook"

The two proceeded to get into a fight like usual

"Stop it both of you I want to watch." Nami said hitting them leaving large bumps on their heads


	8. Luffy saves Zoro

Sometime after deciding on where to go the three travelers made it to Shells Town.

"Well, here we are." Nami said

"You guys look for another boat. I am keeping this one."

"Why can't we share it? I have a feeling we would end up going to the same place anyways." Luffy said

"Fine!" Nami said annoyed "Well either way, meet back here when you are done with your business in town." Nami said still not entirely sure why she was willing to stick with this strange man.

"Alright then, let's go Coby!" Luffy said and they began walking up the island towards the Marine base.

"Sure"

Luffy and Coby were making their way up the street when Luffy stopped to buy some fruit. In between bites Luffy was talking with Coby.

"You know Coby. There are not just good marines. There are also bad marines who take their authority too far."

"No way, that is not possible" Coby said

"Just wait you will see eventually."

"Excuse me mam."

"Yes, young man?"

"What do you think about the leader of that base up there? I believe his name is Morgan. Is that right?"

The towns' people jumped hearing the name Morgan

"Do you know where I can find Zoro?"

The towns' people jumped hearing the name Zoro

"Why would you be looking for either of them?" The older lady asked

"No reason, I was just curious that's all. Thank you for your time mam." Luffy said walking away from the vendor.

"Ok Coby, why was their reaction to the Marine and the pirate hunter the same?"

"That is a good question. I am not really sure"

"The answer is that the people are afraid of both of them."

"If you want to join the Marines I am not going to stop you. But make sure that you keep your priorities the same." Luffy said thinking about the future of his pink haired buddy who was a vice admiral by the time he found the One Piece.

"You want to become a Marine because you want to catch bad guys. Don't ever forget the reason why you began the journey to reach your goal."

"I promise I won't"

"You know Coby, just like there are some bad Marines there are also some good pirates."

"I think you have that backwards Luffy-san."

"You will see."

A short time later Luffy and Coby were standing in front of the Marine base.

"I guess this is where we part ways Luffy-san" Coby said teary eyed

Luffy ignored Coby and climbed up the wall around the base

"What are you doing up there?"

"Now where is that demon?"

"He wouldn't be out there. He is most likely in a cell inside the base."

Luffy pulled Coby up to look over the wall with him.

"See there he is."

"Why is he out there?"

"If we untie him do you think he will join me?"

"If you untie him, he is going to kill you"

"Don't worry I am strong"

'What's with this guy does he have a death wish?' Coby thought

"Hey, you two are bothering me, get lost" Zoro said

A moment later a ladder appeared next to Coby and a little girl climbed up and over the wall around the execution yard.

"I told you get lost little girl"

"But I made these rice balls for you"

"I'm not hungry."

"You're annoying! Go home"

"Don't make me hurt you."

"You shouldn't bully little kids Zoro" Helmeppo said

"Oh good a marine, he'll get her out of there."

"Oh that rice ball looks good. Don't mind if I do." Helmeppo said grabbing one and taking a bite. "That's nasty, what did you put in there?"

"I thought they would taste better with sugar." Rika said

"You're supposed to use salt." Helmeppo knocking the other rice ball out of her hands and began stomping it into the dirt.

"How terrible" Coby said

"Haven't you read this poster yet? Anyone who helps this criminal will be executed – Marine Captain Morgan."

"You, toss this kid over the wall."

"What"

"Are you disobeying me? Don't make me tell my dad."

"I'm sorry little girl, I don't want to do this" the marine whispered to Rika before he tossed her over the wall.

Luffy jumped from the wall and saved the little girl.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, I am ok. Thank you"

"You bastard" Zoro said

"You are pretty stubborn, still being alive."

"Yeah, I will survive this whole month."

"Well, do your best."

"Only ten more days left"

"Only if you live that long" Helmeppo said walking out of the execution yard

"So you're a bad guy?" Luffy said now standing in front of Zoro

"What, you're still here?"

"Are you really strong?"

"Of course I am but I will survive and show them."

"What a stubborn guy" Luffy said rubbing his head before he began to walk away.

"Wait a second. Can you get that?"

"What this?"

"It's more of a dirt ball now."

"I don't care."

Luffy picked up the dirt ball and fed it to Zoro. All while coughing the whole time.

"It was delicious, Thanks for the food."

A little while later Luffy, Coby and Rika were talking. Rika began to tell them the story of why Zoro was in the predicament he was in. She told them that Helmeppo came into her mother's bar with his "pet" wolf. It was bothering the people in the bar so Zoro knocked it out. Helmeppo was upset and went to attack Zoro. But easily knocked the sword out of Helmeppo's hands and quickly drew one of his own swords. She told them that they would have had to go to jail. However Helmeppo made a deal with Zoro. In exchange for our freedom he would have to spend one month tied up. After that time he would be free.

"It's been three weeks since then."

"Helmeppo kicks and punches Zoro while he is tied up."

Inside Helmeppo is making another scene.

"Since I am tired of waiting I am going to execute Zoro tomorrow."

Luffy ran up to Helmeppo and punched him right in the cheek sending him flying into a wall.

"Who are you?"

"Your trash."

"I will tell my father and have you executed!"

"Why don't you do something by yourself?"

"Coby, I am going to have Zoro join me!"

Helmeppo ran off going to tell Morgan and Luffy went back to the Execution Yard to talk to Zoro.

"You again? You have too much free time."

"I'm going to get you out of these ropes and you will become my nakama. I'm looking for people to join my pirate crew"

"I refuse"

"What's wrong with being a pirate?"

"Pirates are scum. Who would want to be one?"

"You're already known as an evil pirate hunter."

"I've never done anything I've regretted"

"I have already decided that you are going to be my nakama."

"Don't go deciding stuff on your own." Zoro said annoyed

"You use swords right? If I get them for you, will join me then?

"You're going to go into that base all by yourself? You really are an idiot."

Luffy just cracked a smile and ran off to base.

"It's weird that no one is around"

Luffy was just standing there when he heard a sound coming from up above.

"Oh yeah, they are on the roof. Gomu Gomu no Rocket" Luffy said as he stretched one of his arms and grabbed onto a landing of a staircase about half way up the building and made his way from there to the roof.

"Yo" Luffy said as he landed on the roof

"What are you doing with this ridiculous statue?"

"What do you mean ridiculous statue?"

"Don't you think this is a bit much?" Luffy said as he jumped up onto the statue and simply kicked the statue. That one kick broke the statue in half. When it landed on the ground it broke into various Morgan shaped pieces.

The marines and Morgan stood there mouths wide open after seeing what this boy just did.

"Oh yeah, I remember why I came up here."

"Capture him, I want him executed." Morgan said

"You come with me. I need to find Zoro's swords." Luffy grabbed Helmeppo and began running around the base until they stopped in a quiet area. "Where are Zoro's swords?"

"They are in my room, we just passed it." And following that proceeded to pass out

Luffy walked into Helmeppo's and found Zoro's swords. He took some up rope and tied them together and slung them over one shoulder.

Back on the ground Coby was trying to untie Zoro.

"If you do that you will be killed" Zoro said

"I can't stand by and watch these Marines anymore."

"Stop, I can't run away! I only have 10 more days left."

"Helmeppo is going to execute you tomorrow."

"What?"

"Helmeppo never intended to keep his promise! That's why Luffy-san got mad and punched him. He is probably being chased by the Marines right now. I'm not telling you to become a pirate, but please help Luffy-san. Luffy-san is the only one who can save you Zoro-san. And I believe you are the only one who can save Luffy-san."

"Hold it right there." Morgan said. For committing treason against me you both will be executed. Do you and the guy with the straw hat intend to start a revolution?"

"I've always fought my battles alone, unlike you who are hiding behind your troops!"

"Don't underestimate me Roronoa Zoro."

Back in Helmeppo's room with Luffy

"I better get down there before they get shot at."

Luffy opened the windows and jumped down and landed in front of Zoro and Coby.

"Men, shoot at Mugiwara." Morgan said

All of the troops aimed their guns at Luffy and fired. To the surprise of everyone Luffy didn't die, he didn't even try to move. The bullets hit him and his body stretched to absorb the energy from the gun shots and then he sent them flying into the sky to avoid injuring people unnecessarily.

"That doesn't work." Luffy said laughing

"What the hell are you?" Zoro asked surprised

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who is going to be King of the Pirates."

"You said King of the Pirates. Do you even understand what that means?"

"Of course I know what it means"

"I was surprised too, but I believe he really is serious."

"Hey, I didn't ask who you were. I asked what you were."

"Oh right, I'm made of rubber." Luffy said stretching one of his cheeks

"I ate the Gomu Gomu no mi"

"You ate a devil fruit?"

"I thought they were just rumors."

"Here are your swords back." Luffy said ignoring Morgan. Now what will you do? If you fight with me against the Marines they will consider you an enemy. So what do you choose? Being killed by the Marines or becoming a pirate and joining me? It's your decision!"

"You're the son of the devil!"

"You have no idea." Luffy said chuckling

"Fine! I'd rather be a pirate than die here."

Luffy drew one of Zoro's nameless swords and sliced the ropes releasing Zoro.

"Who taught you to do that?" Zoro asked

"A friend gave me a few lessons a couple years ago. Here are your swords back. You are going to fight Morgan. I will take care of the small fries."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just watch, this is pretty cool"

Luffy just turned to face the marines who had not moved since Luffy sent their bullets flying into the air. Luffy put one hand on his hat and covered his eyes. While standing there he released a concentrated blast of Haki and knocked out all of the low ranking marine soldiers. He was careful not to knock out Morgan.

"What the hell was that" Morgan said

"Any clue what that was?" Zoro asked Coby

"None, I have only known Luffy-san a little while. I didn't think he was that strong." Coby said

"He didn't do anything but knocked them out anyway." Zoro said

"What did you do to my men Mugiwara?"

"Me, I didn't do anything at all." Luffy said laughing

"Whatever, it makes no difference to me. I am going to make you pay for disrespecting me."

"Zoro it's your turn. You can take him."

Morgan ran to attack Luffy. He swung his ax hand toward Luffy but was stopped by Zoro. Zoro had stopped Morgan's axe in between his two swords.

"I promised to be a pirate. Opposing the Marines makes me a wanted me tell you one thing. I will join you but, I am doing this to make my own dream come true!"

"Your own dream?" Luffy said fully aware of what Zoro was talking about.

"To become the world's greatest swordsman" He had seen Zoro's dream come to fruition once.

Then he remembered something that Shanks told him when he was there to watch Zoro and Mihawk duke it out for the title of Greatest Swordsman. Shanks told him he used to duel with Mihawk before he lost his arm. 'Well this is going to be interesting' Luffy though not knowing how much harder this would make that duel in the next few years. Luffy just shook that thought out of his mind for now and responded to Zoro.

"Sounds good to me, As the Pirate King I wouldn't expect any less from you."

"I don't care how I spread my name. But it will be a name that is known all around the world"

"Are you done talking?" Morgan asked getting annoyed

"Oh, yeah. I still have to deal with you don't I?"

Morgan backed up and removed his axe from between Zoro's blades so they could continue the fight. He would have never told anyone but he wasn't able to move his ax anywhere but up. Zoro got ready to attack and crossed his arms in front of his body with the blades facing out. Zoro got up and began running towards Morgan.

"Oni…Giri" was all Morgan heard as he didn't have time to react. Zoro moved much too fast. Morgan stood there for a few moments before he fell was standing there watching the whole time

"Nice Zoro"

"It was nothing Senchou."

"Now to get rid of this."

"What are you talking about Luffy?"

Luffy walked over to Morgan and picked up his right foot, it was hovering over Morgan's Ax. "Busoshoku koka" Was all Zoro heard before he saw Luffy's foot turn black. Luffy then brought his foot down on the ax. The sharp head of the ax was now on the ground flat while the cylindrical bit was still attached to Morgan's arm.

"That was amazing; you have to teach me how to do that. What was that anyway?" Zoro asked

"That was Haki and I will show you it to you again soon. And I will teach you once there are a few more of us."

"So besides me, who else have you gotten to join you?"

"Just you so far." Luffy said laughing

"It's just the two of us?" Zoro said pointing to Luffy and then back to himself.

"Yeah, but there is one other person here I want to get to join."

"Coby?" Zoro asked

"No, he is going to join the Marines. Her name is Nami and she is a navigator."

"Mugiwara don't move. If you do I will kill him."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about you." Luffy said already kind of bored

"Luffy-san I don't want to interfere with your dream."

"I am ready to die trying to achieve my dream."

"Yeah, I know. You hear that? Just give up stupid. Coby is serious about dying for his dream. While Helmeppo was distracted Luffy punched him and knocked him out cold.

One by one the Marines began to wake up. They were still groggy but they could see Morgan lying on the ground and their former prisoner was free and moving about.

"They did it, they beat Captain Morgan" One of the Marines said.

Zoro noticed the marines were up and he said "If anyone still wants to fight, come get us!"

The Marines looked at each other and dropped their weapons. They began celebrating the defeat of the oppressive Captain Morgan.

Meanwhile Nami was in Morgan's office.

"It's not in here" looking through a drawer in Morgan's desk

"Where would they hide that map?"

Nami began looking around the room, which was when she spotted something out of place.

"Oh lucky, I found this safe over here."

"They didn't do a good job hiding this safe."

Much to Nami's surprise the safe was already open.

"Here it is, the map of the Grand Line" When she opened the map she was annoyed to see that it was replaced with a useless piece of paper with the mark of Buggy the clown on it. Saying "this was flashily stolen by the Buggy Pirates"

"Why does this feel so familiar?" Nami said kind of irritated. "Damn, I guess I have to keep looking."

Back with Luffy, Zoro &amp; Coby in Ririka's bar

"That meal was worth not eating for 3 weeks!"

"Is that all you are going to eat?"

"How can you still be eating? You can't have a larger appetite than me."

"Wanna bet?" Luffy said and kept stuffing his face

"You were amazing back there." Coby said

"I guess I am." Luffy said pulling a Chopper – 'I'm not happy you bastard.'

"One day I'm gonna become even greater. I'm gonna become the King of the Pirates. I found a nakama as well."

"So it's just the two of us for now. What about our ship?"

"It's over there. It's the one in the harbor."

"Really, that's it." Zoro said looking out at the harbor.

"Yeah, but soon we are going to get one that is a lot bigger."

"I don't think Luffy-san has anything planned out at all"

"How did I get stuck with this idiot?"

"Where are you guys going now?" Rika asked

"Well eventually we are heading for the Grand Line, but first we really do need to get a bigger ship before we go there. That's where the One Piece is."

"Well, I guess we have no choice."

"Not you too, Zoro-san."

"Who cares, you aren't going."

"No, but I can still worry. Can't I? Because Luffy-san and I are friends, even though we haven't known each other that long."

"Yeah we might be parting ways, but we'll always be friends." Luffy said cracking a smile

"Because of you two I've learned to strive for my own goals. I'm going to make my dream come true. I'm going to become a Marine."

"Don't worry about us, you should take care of yourself. Even though you were a chore boy under Alvida, a pirate is a pirate in the eyes of the Marines. Don't underestimate the Marines information gathering. If they find out you won't be able to join."

Just as Zoro finished saying that a few Marines walked into the bar

"Excuse me. Is it true that you are pirates?"

"Yeah we are, I just found a new nakama."

"We are grateful that you saved us from Morgan. But as pirates I must ask you to leave this town at once. We will not report you to headquarters as our thanks for saving this town."

The towns' people were not happy with the Marines decision to kick out the pirates who saved the town.

"Well, I guess we are leaving. Thank you for the food."

Luffy and Zoro were walking out the door when Commander Ripper stopped them.

"Isn't he a nakama of yours?"

"I know all about this guy, he worked on a ship for this fat lady, I think her was Albeda or..." By now Coby was scared and but he was going to give up without a fight. So he punched Luffy in the face. This annoyed Luffy but it worked out before so why not try again. He put on a good show by knocking Coby around a little, that was until ripper stepped in to stop the one sided brawl.

"It's obvious that you aren't nakama, so leave this bar."

Luffy and Zoro left the bar and headed for the harbor where they found Nami waiting.

"Yo, Nami. All done in town?"

"Yeah, I am. So where now?"

"Where is the next closest place on the map?"

"That would be the Organ Islands."

"That sounds good to me, any objection Zoro?"

"None"

"Alright then, off to the Organ Islands."

** Back to the future Straw Hats watching through the portal**

"Well Zoro-san?" Brook asked

"Not much changed there. You know aside from Luffy using Haki."

"You mean to tell me you really were almost killed." Sanji couldn't help but laugh

"Yeah, it's true. Laugh it up swirly brow." Zoro said kind of ashamed

"I really was on that stupid thing for three weeks."

"Well I am glad you weren't executed." Robin said

"You know I didn't leave with you two the first time." Nami said

"The first time I met Luffy was in Orange Town where they are going next when he fell out of the sky."

"So that's what happened. I remember him launching himself into the sky trying to catch a bird for us to eat. The next thing I know Luffy is stuck in the bird's mouth and I am rowing like crazy trying to catch up to him. Out of nowhere three people began calling out asking for help. Their boat must have capsized."

"Were they Buggy Pirates?"

"Yeah, they were. How did you know that?"

"I was the one who tricked them into giving up their boat. Not two minutes after I tricked them a storm formed near them and their boat began to sink."

"That sounds exactly like something you would have done back then." Zoro said

"Who are we kidding, she would do that now." Usopp said

That smart comment earned Usopp a nice big bump on his head.


	9. Buggy the Clown

The two pirates and Nami made it to Orange Town without any problems.

"So Nami, are we splitting up again?" Luffy asked

"Yeah, I have some business to take care of."

"Ok, same as last time?"

"Yeah, fine." Nami said just waving him off.

"Let's go Zoro."

"Ok but where are we going?"

"We are going to look for some food."

"How can you still be hungry?"

"Is it ok that she is wandering around on her own?"

"Yeah, you don't have to worry about her. I have been using my Haki to keep tabs on her."

"When are you going to explain to me what Haki is?"

"I will explain when we get to the next island."

"Alright, any reason for waiting?"

"I just think we are going to busy on this island."

A little while later Luffy and Zoro had gotten "lost" and they ended up running into Nami. Nami had been busy already. She had stolen something from a bunch of pirates and they were chasing her to get it back for their boss.

"Hey, Nami."

"What are the chances we would run into you?"

"You thief, give back the map!" one pirate said

"We just stole that map of the Grand Line" another pirate said

The pirates had caught up with Nami as she stopped to talk to Zoro and Luffy. Thinking quickly Nami came up with a lie to get out of the situation.

"Boss you came to save me."

"Huh, what are you talking about?"

With that Nami ran away leaving Luffy and Zoro to deal with the pirates who were chasing her.

"What the hell is she doing?" Zoro asked

"That's Nami for you."

"She's getting away." The pirates said

"No problem, her boss is still here"

"Hey you guys, do you know where I can get some food?"

"Stop screwing around." One of the pirates said as he hit Luffy and his hat went flying off his head.

"Don't touch my treasure" was the last thing the pirates heard before he used his Haki to knock them out cold. Luffy went to pick up his hat and placed it back on his head.

"You did it again." Zoro said annoyed

"Warn me next time, I feel a chill run down my spine when you do that."

"Sorry Zoro."

"You're strong, aren't you?"

"Nami, what the hell are you doing up there?"

"I didn't even see you hit them."

"I didn't hit them."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't worry about it for now."

"Can you look and see if there is any food in that house?"

"Well you did save me so I will check."

"Thanks Nami."

Nami went into the house to look around and after a few minutes walked out onto the porch.

"You're lucky there is some food in here."

Inside the house after Luffy had eaten his fill.

"What did you do? Why were those guys chasing you?" Zoro asked

"I stole a map of the Grand Line."

"I guess they wanted it back."

"What do you need that map for?" Zoro asked

"I need it to get 100 million beri."

"What are you going to do with that much money?"

"None of your business"

"With this map the 100 million beri is not a dream."

"I should have asked earlier, but why don't you join us as our navigator?"

"Really?"

"Yeah"

"Ok, that might be fun."

"Our crew of pirates gets bigger."

"You're a pirate?"

"I won't join you and be a pirate."

"Why not?"

"I hate pirates more than anything else in this world! I only like money and tangerines."

"Why are you a pirate anyway?"

"I promised the man who gave me this hat that I'd become a great pirate."

Outside the window

"Where did that girl go?"

"If we don't get the map back, we'll be in trouble."

'I should do something.' Nami thought to herself looking out the window noticing that the pirates haven't given up their search even after being knocked out.

"If you accept my condition I will consider joining you"

"Really, I will do anything"

"I want you to come with me to see Buggy the Clown."

A few minute later and Luffy was all ready to go

"Why did you tie me up?

"It's just rope. Is there a problem?"

"Not really. Let's go"

"Hold on a second Luffy. This is not a good idea."

"Don't worry Zoro I will be ok."

"If we get in trouble come rescue us."

"Just wait for my sign, you will know it when you see it."

"Fine, I will be watching."

A little while later Luffy and Nami had made their way on to the roof of the building where Buggy set up his big top. Nami gave Buggy back his map.

"Thanks for returning my map but what made you change your mind?"

"I had a fight with my boss. I can't stand him anymore."

"Let me join your crew."

"What an interesting woman you are. I like you."

"I am in a good mood today."

"Ok, you can join us."

'My plan succeeded, I knew pirates were simple minded.'

For "his" crimes Luffy was put in a cage

"Woman, what's your name?"

"It's Nami"

"Great, we'll have a party in honor of our new crew member Nami."

"LET'S HAVE SOME FUN MEN." Buggy shouted for everyone to hear

After a little partying Buggy decided it was time to have some more fun

"I'm having such a great time, I think it's time for a little destruction."

"Men, prepare a Buggy Ball!"

Buggy's men got a cannon ready and set off a buggy ball. The buggy ball destroyed all of the buildings in its path.

"With the Buggy Balls and my Devil Fruit powers, I will rule the Grand Line."

"You, rule the Grand Line?"

"I am the one who's going to rule the Grand Line." Luffy said

"I'm going to become the Pirate King."

"I can see why you can't stand him Nami."

"He is so simple minded about everything."

"In that case, I Captain Buggy will give you a present. How does blowing up your old boss sound?"

'Huh' was all Nami thought.

Buggies men moved the cannon and pointed it at Luffy's cage. They then proceeded to load the cannon with another Buggy Ball. Finally one of the pirates gave Nami the matches to light the fuse.

"What's wrong? Your hands are shaking." Buggy said growing impatient

"This is what happens if you aren't prepared to play pirate."

"What kill people needlessly, Is that the way of the pirate?"

"No, it's not. It's being prepared to risk your own life to get what you want."

Nami was taking too long to light the fuse so one of Buggy's crew members took the matches from her and tried to light the fuse. Nami replied by taking out her staff and knocking the man out who was going to kill Luffy.

"What are you doing? Why did you just save me?"

"This is ridiculous; I won't stoop to the same level as these pirates."

"I will never be like the pirates who took the life of the person who was most important to me."

"Do you think you can defy me?" Buggy said annoyed

Four of the Buggy pirates went to attack Nami. That was when Luffy noticed that the fuse had actually been lit most likely by another pirate while Nami was fighting. Nami was going to fight the pirates but opted to try to stop the fuse from firing the Buggy Ball. However she had taken too long and couldn't stop the fuse from firing. Just before the cannon went off Luffy said what were thought to be his final words.

"Praying before you die kid?" Buggy said in between laughing fits

"No way Big Nose"

"Karada Busoshoku Koka"

Luffy finished saying just after the cannon went off.

The Buggy Ball hit the cage and left a large cloud of smoke in its path. As the smoke was clearing the Buggy pirates thought they could see something standing in the smoke. One last gust of wind cleared the smoke and revealed a perfectly fine Luffy.

"Nami it's time to go" Luffy yelled

Nami was standing there shocked by what she had seen or hadn't seen. How did someone survive getting shot at by a cannon? When Luffy yelled to her she didn't argue with the man. She only followed orders and ran over to him.

"How did you survive the Buggy Ball?" Buggy asked both confused and angry that it didn't work.

"None of your business big nose." Luffy said sticking his tongue out.

With that Luffy grabbed onto Nami and jumped off the roof of the bar and landed safely on the ground. Soon they disappeared in between the buildings out of sight. During all the commotion Luffy had signaled to Zoro to follow him.

"Cabaji, Mohji get out here now." Buggy yelled

"What's the matter senchou? Cabaji asked

"There is someone I want you to kill." Buggy said

The trio found themselves in front of the pet food store. And Chouchou was guarding it.

"I'm not in the cage this time. I will be able to protect your treasure." Luffy said whispering to the dog

"Please tell me, can you talk to animals as well?" Nami asked

"No of course I can't. But I think he can understand us." Luffy said

"Ok Luffy, what did you do this time?" Zoro asked

"What do you mean?" Nami asked curiously

"This kid is a lot more powerful than we give him credit for." Zoro said

"If I had to guess, right now there is not a single person in the East Blue who could defeat him, maybe even the first half of the Grand Line." Zoro said confidently but not knowing where that information came from

"No one can beat him?" Nami asked

"Do you really believe that?"

"You bet I do. I bet we have only just seen the tip of the iceberg when it what comes to what this kid can do."

"You know, you might be right." Nami said full of hope, not really sure why she was feeling so confident over someone she only recently met.

A few minutes later a man wearing brown armor appeared from behind a building near the pet food store.

"Who are you old man?" Zoro asked

"I am the mayor of this town. My name is Boodle"

"What are you kids doing here?" Boodle asked

"We were just relaxing." Nami said

"I don't think you should be doing that around here. Not with the Buggy pirates around." The three just looked at each other and exchanged glances of it's already too late for that.

"Why don't you come back with me to the camp we set up outside of town?"

"That's alright, thanks anyway." Luffy said

"What about this dog?" Nami asked

"Oh, Chouchou. No matter what I do I can't get him to leave the store."

"Ever since his master died he has stood guard there."

"I come three times a day to check on him and feed him."

Just as he finished saying that they heard a loud roar.

"What's that roar?" Nami asked

"That's Beast Tamer Mohji."

The mayor said as he ran off to hide. Luffy, Zoro and Nami stayed behind.

"Are you sure you want to stay behind Nami?" Zoro asked

"I want to see for myself if what you think is true or not."

"Zoro, while I fight you protect her and vice versa."

"Whatever you say senchou." Zoro said a little annoyed that he was stuck essentially babysitting.

Zoro grabbed Nami by the wrist and dragged her off to hide behind a nearby building where they had a good view of what was about to happen.

"Hey you don't have to protect me"

"You wanted to stay behind, didn't you?"

"Luffy trusts you and I can't understand why."

"But if he wants me to protect you I will do that."

Back with Luffy in front of the pet food store

"Who are you?" Luffy asked as Beast Tamer Mohji stood in front of him

"I'm beast tamer Mohji from Buggy's crew."

"I am here to kill you three."

"Good luck with that" Luffy said

"Get him Richie." Mohji said

Luffy stayed standing firm in front of the pet food store

"Get out of the way idiot he is going to kill you." Nami said

"If an explosion didn't kill him, what are the chances this guy can." Zoro asked

Luffy didn't even move as Richie the lion ran towards him. The only thing Luffy did was that he released a blast of Haoshoku Haki and Richie passed out mid step and fell down. Mohji was sent tumbling off of Richie's back.

"You bastard, what did you do to Richie?"

"Zoro what did he do to the lion? Was it the same thing he did to the three pirates who were chasing me?"

"Not sure what he did. I asked him earlier. He told tell me it was called Haki but that was all he told me. That must have been how he survived the explosion." Zoro said

"Have you ever heard of it?" Nami asked

"I haven't but something feels oddly familiar about it."

"You too?"

"What do you mean?"

"Nevermind, It's probably nothing."

"Who the hell are you?" Mohji asked getting up after falling on the ground.

"My name is Monkey D. Luffy. I am the man who is going to be King of the Pirates."

"He really believes he can do it doesn't he." Nami said

"What?" Zoro replied

"Become King of the Pirates." Nami said

"Yeah I really think he intends to do it. And there is something in me telling me that he really will do it."

Luffy didn't waste any time listening to anything Mohji had to say

"Gomu Gomu no…"

"Bazooka" was the last thing Mohji heard before he was sent flying into the wall of a house.

Luffy had done it this time. He had protected Chouchou's treasure.

"You did it" Nami said running over to him.

"Yeah was there any doubt?" Zoro asked making his way over to the other two.

"So Luffy, what exactly are you?" Nami asked

"I am a rubber man. I ate the Gomu Gomu no mi." Luffy said

"I thought devil fruits were just a rumor." Nami said.

"Well it looks like they are very real."

"Let's get out of here" Luffy said

"You mean we are running?" Zoro asked

"No, of course not, I just don't want to accidently destroy this dog's treasure."

The trio walked up a half dozen streets before Luffy stopped and turned ninety degrees.

"Zoro, I think your turn is coming up."

"Let's go Nami."

"What, why?"

"We don't want to get in Zoro's way while he is fighting."

"Roronoa Zoro, I have come for your head." Cabaji said

"Of course you have, but you are not going to succeed." Zoro said tying his bandana around his head.

Nami and Luffy were sitting off to the side against a building watching Zoro's fight

"Why did you protect that store?" Nami asked

"Because I didn't think that Chouchou should have to lose the only thing his master left him."

"There is more to it than that isn't there?" Nami asked

"What do you mean?"

"Not entirely sure."

"Well it was still nice of you to protect that dog's treasure."

"Thanks Nami, You know I will protect anyone's treasure as long as they are still willing to fight for it."

"You know, you aren't such a bad guy." Nami said

"Not all pirates are evil Nami."

Nami wasn't sure what to say to that.

Back with Zoro fighting Cabaji

Cabaji began riding around in circles on the unicycle he had with him

"Are you going to take this serious?" Zoro asked getting annoyed

"Oh, I am already very serious about this fight Roronoa."

"Acrobatic special, old man's flame." Cabaji said as he breathed fire

Zoro was able to dodge easily this time as he had not been stabbed by Buggy.

"Murder under a cloud of smoke" Cabaji began spinning his sword around kicking up a cloud of smoke.

Zoro was standing several feet away from the cloud when a sword came right at him. Zoro blocked the sword and went to attack Cabaji.

"Ok, this isn't fun at all. I think I am just going to end this." Zoro said

Cabaji began charging at Zoro ready to attack. However Zoro was standing still with his arms crossed ready to attack.

"Oni…Giri" was all Zoro said as he effortlessly avoided Cabaji's attack and countered it.

Cabaji fell to the ground with three slices in various directions across his chest.

"Very nice Zoro." Luffy said as he and Nami walked up to Zoro

"He wasn't much of a challenge." Zoro said

"That was very impressive young ones." The mayor said having just seen the end of the fight.

"Oh, that was nothing." Luffy said

"I can't believe it." The mayor said

"What do you mean?" Nami asked

"Your friends here have taken care of most of this town's problems. And what have I done?"

"I haven't done a thing to protect my treasure."

"Don't worry old man" Luffy said. "I won't let anything else happen to your town."

"I appreciate it but I must be the one to finish Buggy."

"Thanks for the offer, but no."

"Wha…" was all the mayor could say before he passed out

Luffy ran over to catch the man before he fell over.

"Why did you do that?" Nami asked

"If he tried to attack Buggy he would have gotten himself killed."

"Yeah, true. But why did you have to knock him out?"

"He was going to follow us no matter what we said, at least I didn't hit him."

Luffy cracked a smile and started laughing. Nami and Zoro only looked at each other trying to figure out if the other knew why he was laughing. They didn't say anything but they both felt that something like this happened before.

"Well, I am going to go set him down over there. Then we are going to deal with Buggy."

"Fine, you do that but I am going to go look for treasure."

"Alright, but stay out of sight until the fight is over."

"That was the plan."

"Zoro, let's go kick Buggy's ass."

"Sounds good to me."

So Nami went off by herself, while Luffy and Zoro went to fight Buggy.

Luffy and Zoro were walking back to where they had met Buggy

"Zoro, just so you know. Swords don't work on Buggy."

"What, how do you know that?"

"Don't worry about how, just remember that if you end up slicing him he is not dead even if he is in pieces."

"Let me guess, Devil fruit?"

"That's right."

It went silent for a few minutes after that until Zoro broke the silence

"Luffy, how do you know about all of this stuff."

"I haven't even heard of Haki before a few days ago."

"Yeah, it's not really common around here."

"I will tell you guys more eventually."

"Why all the secrecy?"

"No reason really."

With that they made it back to the building with the big top on the roof.

"Big Nose" was all Luffy had to yell for Buggy's crew to come running.

"I can't believe you said that." A nameless pirate said

"I can't believe you are both still alive." Buggy said

"Your lackeys weren't strong enough to kill us." Zoro said

"Yeah, we beat them pretty good."

"It's your turn to fight me Buggy."

Buggy jumped down off the roof of the building onto a lower level and finally onto the ground about thirty feet from Luffy and Zoro.

"Well kid, are you ready to die flashily?"

"I would like to see you try."

Buggy stomped down and a blade came out of the tip of each shoe

"Bara Bara Pinwheel" Buggy said as he sent his bottom half spinning and flying towards Luffy and Zoro.

Luffy and Zoro easily dodged the attack

The attack came back and Buggy's body became whole again.

Annoyed Buggy ordered his men to prepare the cannon.

"Men, fire another Buggy Ball at Mugiwara."

"Buggy, you don't want to do that. It will just end badly." Luffy said

"You just got lucky Mugiwara, it won't happen again."

With that the cannon was loaded, aimed and ready to fire.

What Luffy and Zoro didn't know was that Buggy had ordered all the fuses be cut in half. Doing this drastically shortened the window Luffy would have to react.

"Zoro, back up. Something is wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Buggy is way too confident that he will be able to kill me."

"Fire the Buggy Ball."

"Busoshoku koka"

"What the hell Mugiwara."

"I can't believe my eyes." Buggy said

"He actually caught a Buggy Ball bare handed." A nameless pirate said

"Not bare handed." Buggy said

"I can't believe someone like you possess Haki." Buggy said looking at Luffy's black forearm

"It has been so long since I have seen those abilities."

"That is pretty incredible." Zoro said

"Why didn't you do that last time?"

Luffy looked at him funny

"Oh yeah, never mind."

"You know Luffy you still have the Buggy Ball in your hand." Zoro said

"Oh yeah" Luffy said as he threw the ball off into the water harmlessly exploding

"Why didn't you throw it back at them?" Zoro asked

"I don't have to use a cannonball to beat them."

"You know Zoro I think it's time I finish this."

"You think you will be able to beat me."

"I don't think, I know I can beat you."

"Gear Second" Luffy said as he punched his right arm into the air pumping the blood in his arm. The next thing Buggy noticed was that his arm had turned red and steam was coming off of it.

"Gomu Gomu no… "Luffy said as Buggy prepared to stop or dodge the attack

"Jet Pistol"

The next thing anyone around notices is that buggy is on the ground unconscious.

"Anybody else want some?" Luffy said to the crew on top of the building

"No" all of the pirates said shaking their heads furiously

"Alright, I will say it one more time. That was incredible Luffy. I couldn't even see it."

Off behind a building with all of Buggys treasure is our favorite cat burglar. She had seen everything that has happened since Luffy caught the cannonball. She was rather impressed. She was also happy that he didn't cause any more unnecessary destruction.

"Maybe just maybe he can beat Arlong" Nami said to herself

"Nami we are all done you can come out now."

"That is annoying, how did you know I was there?"

"Haki? Never mind stupid question."

"Shishishi" Luffy laughed.

"That's right"

"Find anything good Nami?"

"Yeah I got all of his treasure and a chart of the grand line"

The mayor had woken up and found the three kids talking

"Where is Buggy?" the mayor asked

"He is over there unconscious." Luffy said pointing to Buggy

During their conversation Luffy turned his attention to the pirates on the roof

"Hey you guys still up there on the roof." Luffy said

"Load up your captain and any other crew members around and get the hell off this island."

"Yes sir" the remaining Buggy pirates said in unison

"What you are just going to let them go." Nami and the Mayor asked annoyed

"Yeah, they won't come back here anytime soon."

"Mayor it should be safe for the villagers to come back soon" Luffy said

"I don't know how to thank you for all that you have done." The mayor said

"Don't worry about it."

With that the mayor walked off and went to go talk with the other villagers.

"Nami why don't we put that into two sacks so it's easier to carry."

"Fine, whatever"

They dumped out all the treasure, tore the sack in half and put treasure into both sacks. Now with Luffy carrying one and Nami carrying the other they made their way to the harbor. And set sail for the next island. Only for Nami to realize that Luffy left half the treasure there.

"Luffy, you didn't forget your bag of treasure did you?"

"Nope, I left it there for them to rebuild their village."

Nami hit him over the head leaving a large bump

"Are you sure you don't already know Haki?" Luffy asked massaging the bump on his head

"No, why do you ask?" Nami said

"Oh, no reason" Luffy said

** Back to the future Straw Hats watching through the portal**

"So what changed this time." Robin asked

"Wow, a lot changed" Nami said looking to Zoro for some sort of comment

"Yeah, the witch is right." Zoro said

"Luffy using Haki is new, as well as his speed attacks."

"Catching the cannonball was pretty cool."

"Luffy getting locked in the cage was pretty funny." Franky said

"Saving the pet food store." Nami said

"Last time it was burnt to the ground."

"Also you didn't get stabbed by Buggy this time."

"What the marimo got stabbed by Buggy when he first fought him." Sanji said laughing

"Shut up swirly." Zoro said

"How does that change the future?" Robin asked the ghost.

"It shouldn't that much. As long as you stay on the island for relatively the same amount of time the only thing that will change are…" The ghost stopped

"I don't know what will change." The ghost said

"WHAT" seven Straw Hats said with shark teeth

"Technically they are living in an alternate time line even though it is just the past but they are changing things."

"Eventually time might synchronize and who knows what will happen then."


	10. Usopp and Gecko Village

Luffy, Zoro and Nami made it to Syrup Village on Gecko Island

"You know I think it's about time I taught you about Haki."

"Sounds good to me" Zoro said

"I have been waiting to see this." Nami said

"But before that we have guests." Luffy said talking about Usopp and the Usopp pirates who were hiding in the shrubs.

"I am the Great Captain Usopp." I command 8000 men on this island alone.

"Yeah, that's so cool." Luffy said playing along

"My name is Luffy. I am going to be King of the Pirates."

"What, you're a pirate." Usopp said shocked

"Why did you tell him that?" Nami said through shark teeth, hitting him on the head

"If you don't leave I will be forced to shoot." Usopp said pulling out his slingshot

"That is not used for threats." Luffy said

"Now that you have taken out your weapon are you ready to risk your life?" Luffy said glaring up at Usopp.

"Wow, words coming from a real pirate are much more intimidating than I thought." Usopp said falling to the ground already defeated

All the trio on the beach could do was laugh.

By this time the three little Usopp Pirates had run off to hide somewhere

"I borrowed that line from a pirate I know. His name is Akagami Shanks"

"You know Shanks?"

"Yeah, I do. You know Usopp I heard all about you from your dad Yasopp."

"You…" Was all Usopp could say before all that could be heard was Luffy's stomach growling.

"Do you know where we can get some food?" Luffy said rubbing his empty stomach.

"Do you only think of your stomach?" Nami asked

"No of course not." Luffy said chuckling

"We can go this restaurant in town. They know me so it will be my treat."

"You are going to regret that." Zoro said

In the restaurant

"You mean my dad is on the same pirate ship as Shanks?"

"Yeah they are pretty good friends. I have seen your dad do all sort of cool things with his gun. He never missed a single shot."

"That sounds like my dad."

"Hey Usopp do you know where we can get a boat in this village?" Nami asked

"Sorry, but this village is small and no one has that kind of money."

"What about that big mansion up on the hill over there?"

"Listen to me, don't you go near that house."

"Sorry, but I just remembered I had something I had to go do."

After that Usopp left the restaurant in a hurry.

"Where do you think he is going?" Zoro asked

"My guess would be the mansion up on the hill." Luffy said

"What makes you say that?"

"Just a gut feeling"

A half an hour later Luffy had eaten enough to hold him over for a while. Around the same time Usopp was on the branch of a tree outside of Kaya's window and he was telling her one of his famous tall tales. Around the same time back in the restaurant the Usopp pirates went in to find their captain

"Oh, I'm stuffed" Luffy said

"What happened to our captain?" the three boys asked

"We ate him" Zoro said evilly. The three kids fell over shocked before Nami told them what was really going on.

"Oh, it was all a joke." The three kids said laughing it off

"So, do you know where your captain would be around this time?" Nami asked

"He is probably telling Kaya one of his stories."

"Why don't we ask her for a ship." Luffy said

"Why would she give us anything? We haven't done anything for her." Zoro said

Luffy and company left the restaurant to go ask anyway. What stood between them and asking Kaya for a favor was that there was a tall fence around the mansion. "This isn't going to be a problem" Luffy said as he stretched his arms and grabbed onto the top of the fence. "Everyone hold on" Luffy said. Soon everyone was holding onto Luffy. He launched them all into the air and over the fence. Soon after all six of them went airborne they all fell back down. Luffy and company fell out of the sky and Luffy landed on his feet while the others aside from Nami weren't so lucky.

"Nice catch Luffy." Nami said slightly embarrassed to Luffy who had caught her bridal style

"Can you put me down now?" 

"Sorry about that." Luffy said putting Nami down and rubbing the back of his head.

"Who are they Usopp-san?"

"They are some people who came from far away to join the Usopp Pirates."

"No we didn't." Luffy said

"Actually Miss, we came here to ask you about acquiring a ship to continue our journey towards the Grand Line." Luffy said in his most polite tone of voice. This extra ten years gave him a level of maturity that he would not have been capable of the first time they asked Kaya for a ship.

Everyone aside from Kaya's mouth hit the ground. They were surprised to say the least that Luffy could be so polite. In reality he had gotten lessons from Makino on how to be polite and be a gentleman right alongside Ace. The only thing is that Luffy really doesn't use them unless he absolutely has to.

"Did you know he could be polite?" Nami asked a shocked Zoro

"No idea." Zoro said picking his jaw up off the floor.

Before Kaya could say anything she was interrupted by her butler Klahadore.

"Miss Kaya, please do not talk with this trash! He is the son of a pirate. He is only getting close to you to attain your fortune"

"I don't want Kaya's money."

"How could he leave his son to become a pirate?"

"The sea called out to him. I am very proud of my dad he is a great man."

"He is still nothing but a filthy pirate"

Usopp had enough of Klahadore and punched him in the cheek as hard as he could

"Usopp-san you didn't have to hit him."

"See Miss Kaya this is the true nature of pirates. You can't trust them!"

"That's real funny coming from you Kuro." Luffy said standing up against the tree with his arms crossed across his chest.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I am talking about."

Usopp looked at Luffy funny. 'Does he know something that we don't?' Usopp asked himself.

"I don't have any idea what you are talking about. Regardless I must ask that you leave Miss Kaya alone and never come back."

"I get the hint" Usopp said

"Let's go" Usopp said defeated

A little while later after leaving the mansion Usopp, Nami, Zoro, Ninjin, Tamanegi, and Piiman were sitting on a fence talking when Nami noticed someone was missing.

"Where is Luffy?"

"I could've sworn he was right behind us" Zoro said

Luffy was still back at the mansion, outside of the gate.

"How did you know who I was?"

"Not important."

"I know what you are up to and I am going to stop you. I just thought that I would give you the opportunity to turn tail and run Kuro."

"Hahahaha, that's funny boy. You think you know what I am planning."

"I do know what you are planning. I just thought I would give fair a warning that you won't succeed."

"Thank you, but I refuse." Kuro said and turned to walk away.

"Alright then but don't say I didn't warn you."

Luffy finished talking with Kuro and met up with his friends

"Where the hell did you go Luffy?" Nami asked

"Just taking care of some business!"

"What kind of business?"

"It's not important."

"Ok then, how did your not important business go?"

"It went as well as I figured it would"

"So who wants to learn about Haki?"

"What is Haki?" Usopp said

"He hasn't really told us" Zoro said

"Usopp before we start with Haki training come with me."

Usopp and Luffy went to the cliff where Kuro and Jango were talking. This time Luffy made sure to stay hidden and avoid looking at Jango. He didn't want to fall off the cliff again. He also didn't want them to know they were there. They stayed there until Kuro and Jango had finished their discussion and went off in separate directions.

"I have to tell the villagers what I heard."

"Will they listen to you?"

"I don't know, but I have to try."

"You could do that or I could teach you about Haki."

"I am going to warn the villagers."

"What happens when you tell a lie in this village?"

"They chase me off with stuff from their homes."

"What makes you think this will be any different?"

"I have to try."

"Yes, you could but come back with me instead. It will be worth your time and it might even help you protect your village."

"Fine, I guess I will go with you. This might be more interesting than trying to tell the villagers the truth." Usopp said kind of deflated at the thought that no one would listen to him this time.

Luffy and Usopp made it back to the fence where Nami, Zoro and the kids were talking. Usopp told the five what he and Luffy had just overheard. The three kids walked off when he told them he was lying. They were disappointed in Usopp for lying just to get back at the butler.

"You lied to protect them didn't you?" Zoro said

"Yeah, I don't want them to get hurt."

"It's better if they just think I am a liar."

"Alright you three, I think it's finally time to teach you about Haki."

Nami, Usopp and Zoro followed Luffy into the woods to be out of the way for their training.

"Alright then captain, where do we start?" Zoro asked

"Well, Haki is a power found in every living person on this planet. However most people don't notice they possess it or they simply fail to awaken it."

"Really, every single person on this planet can use it." Usopp said

"Well that is what my master told me."

"Haki is broken down into three different types. First is Kenbunshoku no Haki. The second is Busoshoku no Haki. These two pretty much anyone can learn. Last is Haoshoku no Haki which supposedly only one in a million can use."

"Only one in a million" Nami said

"Yeah, but there really is no way to find out if that is accurate or not."

"Ok so we are going to skip Haoshoku no Haki for now. Nami and Zoro you two should know what it is by now. It's that power I use to knock people out. Whenever you felt that chill run down your spine that was me using Haoshoku no Haki."

"You can knock people out using your mind?" Usopp asked

"Well sort of. It's more like I just intimidate them to the point where they just pass out. I guess you could say I am using my will to overpower them. But more than that there has to be an overwhelming gap in strength for it to work." Luffy said

"That sounds ridiculous." Usopp said

"Yeah, you say that now but just wait until you feel something run down your back. It is one of the weirdest feelings in your life." Zoro said

"He has used it a few times around me and I still haven't gotten used to it." Nami said

"I am going to skip the demonstration for now. You will just have to wait until tomorrow to see it for yourself."

"Luffy which do you use to turn your limbs black?" Zoro asked

"That's Busoshoku no Haki."

"Wait a minute, you skipped the part where you mentioned parts of your body changing color." Usopp said

"I know Zoro has seen me use it and I am pretty sure you have seen it as well Nami. I used it to survive an explosion and catch a cannonball."

"Now who is the liar here?" Usopp said

"It's true. Both happened right in front of me." Zoro said

"Alright, this one I can demonstrate."

"Zoro I want you to attack me with your sword."

"Alright." Zoro said not even flinching at the potentially life threatening request.

"You can't be serious he could kill you." Usopp said

"I trust him."

"That's not the problem here."

"Before we begin, give me one second."

"Busoshoku Koka" Nami, Zoro and Usopp all fell on their asses when they saw a shiny black Luffy standing before them.

"Are you guys okay?" Luffy asked

"Fine" they all said

"I have never actually seen this before." Zoro said

"I thought you saw him survive an explosion." Usopp said

"I did but there was a cloud of smoke surrounding him after the cannonball exploded."

"If you guys are done staring can we continue?"

"Yeah, alright" They all said

"One thing before we start. To do what I am doing now takes years of practice. I spent a lot of time only being able to coat parts of my body. Alright now give it all you got Zoro."

Zoro swung as hard as he could but couldn't even scratch Luffy. Just for emphasis Luffy actually caught Zoro's blade in his hand like it wasn't actually sharp.

"Wow that is amazing." Usopp and Nami said in unison

Luffy went back to normal and began explaining the final form of Haki

"Kenbunshoku no Haki is last and for this I need Zoro's help with the demonstration again."

"Alright" Zoro said

"This time I want you to use all three swords against me."

"Sounds good to me" Zoro said excited

"Just watch for now and I will answer any questions later."

Zoro took out all three swords and got ready to attack his captain. "Whenever you're ready."

Zoro began attacking Luffy with all three swords. After a while Luffy called it quits. They had seen enough and Zoro was getting tired even if he didn't want to admit it.

"That was insane. You dodged each and every attack." Nami said rather impressed but at the same time very shocked.

"Alright, I am very interested." Usopp said thinking of all the ways he could use this to avoid the various villagers attacking him.

"How long have you been training in the various forms of Haki?" Zoro asked

"Over ten years." Luffy said

"How old are you?" Nami asked

"Seventeen" Luffy said

They couldn't say anything. They were just standing there stunned by what they just heard.

"You have been training since before you were seven years old."

"That sounds about right." Luffy said. He couldn't tell them he was a time traveler and that he had been practicing for around thirteen years at this point and to top it off that he was technically thirty years old.

"Well, where do we start?" Zoro said

"Kenbunshoku no Haki would be the most useful to learn right now." Nami said. Thinking to herself that after his little display just now there would be no way he could lose to Arlong. And just thinking about that made her really happy.

"Sounds good to me" Luffy said pulling two orange blindfolds out of his pockets

"That's the same color as Buggy's jacket." Nami said

"That's exactly where it's from." Luffy said with a goofy grin on his face.

"What are you talking about." Usopp asked

"Oh, it's nothing." Luffy said he still didn't like bragging about beating an enemy.

"Who wants to go first."

"No volunteers." Luffy said

"Nami and Usopp you are up." Luffy said

"What are you going to do to us?" Nami asked

"Oh, I am going to swing at you with this stick." Luffy said

"The hell you are" Nami said with shark teeth

"What, it's either that or I throw rocks at you." Luffy said

All Zoro could do was laugh as he got evil stares from Nami and Usopp but continued to laugh anyways.

"Those are some great options there captain." Zoro said after he finshed laughing and had gotten hit by Nami

"What, that was how I learned to use Haki." 

"After that I fought every single day to hone my skills to the point they are at today." Luffy said

Usopp and Nami looked at Luffy like he was crazy.

"What, I don't know any other way to teach you." Luffy said

"Well alright if this is the only way you know." Nami said

Usopp and Nami reluctantly tied their blind folds around their heads and covered their eyes.

"Zoro don't hurt him. I want them to get familiar with the idea of having something attacking them and just figuring out how to dodge. Start out telling Usopp which way you are going to swing. But don't tell him every time. If they don't get hurt a little they will never learn." Luffy said

"Sit down and we'll begin."

Zoro began swinging at Usopp from various directions. Sometimes telling him which way he would be attacking, others not. When he knew from which direction he would be attacked he wasn't doing so bad. He would be in motion trying to avoid an attack but he would still get hit. When Zoro didn't say anything Usopp would just get hit. Nami was similar. She would do ok when she knew which direction the attack was coming from. Other times she would just get whacked in the head. Luffy and Zoro were going kind of easy on them as they weren't made out of rubber like Luffy was. Or like Zoro who was actually pretty adept at fighting.

After a while Nami and Usopp had had enough. They weren't doing great but they each managed to avoid a few pronounced attacks. Finally it was Zoro's turn. Usopp and Nami sat off to the side to rest while Luffy practiced with Zoro.

"What did you think?" Usopp asked

"Well after an hour or so of practice I would say we did terrible." Nami said

"Yeah, I would agree with that." Usopp said

"If we compared how we did to how Luffy did we would get a zero." Nami said

"But when I was getting whacked I felt strange somehow." Usopp said

"What do you mean?" Nami asked

"Kinda like I had done this before" Usopp said

"What, you too."

"What do you think that means?"

"No idea."

While they were talking Zoro was having a little bit better luck. Being a swordsman he didn't have to rely on his eyes to see as much as anyone else did. He managed to dodge several of the audible attacks. He even managed to dodge a few of the silent attacks. However like Usopp and Nami a majority of his time was spent rubbing his head or getting up off his side. Zoro had Luffy go harder on him than he did with Nami. After a while Zoro had to call it quits. He managed to practice for two hours much to Nami and Usopp's surprise.

"Well then, I think that is enough for today." Luffy said. Tomorrow we have to help Usopp protect his home. We want the villagers to think tomorrow is just like any other day."

"Thank you Luffy." Usopp said

"Don't thank me just yet. Remember we are only doing this because you want to protect your home." Luffy said

"Still, thank you. Without you guys I would have no chance of protecting my home or Kaya."

"Ok let's go get some food and then we can go get some sleep. We've got an early morning."

Luffy and company went back to the restaurant they ate at earlier and had dinner. They were talking strategy and what to expect when sunrise finally arrived. Luffy knew which side of the island the pirates would land on. He didn't tell the others how he knew. They had a strange feeling that Luffy wasn't being completely truthful about how he knew details of events yet to happen. Not getting a straight answer out of him they shrugged it off and decided on a plan of attack. With a plan in place the pirates went to sleep in the forest so they would be ready when the sun rose.

Early the next morning as the sun was rising, Luffy and company were waking up and they could hear voices of people yelling. They could see a pirate ship just off the coast and it was getting closer. The ship finally made its way to shore and the pirates began making their way off the ship.

"Are you guys ready?" Luffy asked

"Of course" Usopp said with his knees shaking

"I'm just itching for a fight." Zoro said

Nami didn't say anything but she nodded as she readied her bow staff. Luffy was the first to jump down from the forest about half way up the incline. Next was Zoro followed by Nami and Usopp bringing up the rear.

The pirates stopped to see the people in front of them blocking their path.

"Get the hell out of our way" a nameless pirate said

"No way, we are not letting you get to that village." Luffy said sticking his tongue out.

"Why did you stop?" Jango asked annoyed that this was delaying Kuro's plan.

"Captain they won't move."

"Then attack and make them move dumbass."

"ATTACK" the pirates yelled and began running up the hill

"Usopp, you are a sniper right?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Well do your thing; you should be able to take some of these guys out."

Usopp ran up the hill and pulled out his slingshot. He took aim at the pirates running toward the trio and began firing one round after another hitting the pirates in the head and making them fall down. Much to his dismay this only angered the pirates even more.

"Well he is a great shot." Zoro said

"Agreed, but his ammo is pretty ineffective." Luffy said thinking about Usopp's weapon he uses in the New World the Kuro Kabuto and his Pop Greens

"Nami, Zoro" Luffy said

"I think it's your turn."

"You want me to fight them?"

"Yeah, just remember your training."

"What training all you did was hit me with a stick."

"Let's go witch, captain's orders." This aggrevated Nami more than it should have but not having time to think about it she let it go.

Zoro and Nami ran down the hill and began attacking the pirates. They were holding off the pirates from advancing up the hill. Usopp was still providing cover fire when appropriate. Nami soon became overwhelmed by the sheer numbers attacking her. She stepped back to try and gain her footing. But she didn't plant her foot and she began to stumble. The pirates took advantage of this and began moving forward. She managed to catch herself and get back to attacking the advancing pirates. While Nami was fighting she felt something weird. She saw a sword heading for her and not a split second later there was a sword coming right towards her. She managed to dodge the attack and counter smacking the man on the head with her bow staff.

'Was that haki?' Nami thought to herself.

In the village Captain Kuro was sitting on the steps of Kaya's mansion irritated that his men were late as they should have been attacking the village by now.

Back on the hill Zoro was having no problem holding off the constant barrage of swords coming at him. Luffy noticed what had just happened with Nami and decided to intervene to finish off the small fry. A quick concentrated blast of Haoshoku Haki knocked out all the pirates minus Jango and the Nyaban Brothers who were still on the ship.

Jango stood there speechless as he felt a chill run up his spine and he saw his men fall down without even being touched.

Up on the top of the incline Usopp felt something come over him. He wasn't sure what it was but he figured it must have been the last kind of Haki Luffy mentioned. He didn't show them while they were practicing yesterday afternoon but based on Zoro's description and what he felt it must have been it.

"You guys have a little fun?" Luffy asked in between laughing

"You bastard I could have died." Nami said angrily

"But you didn't, you even took the first step in learning Kenbunshoku no Haki." Luffy said smiling and thinking back to when he was training Nami in the basics. She was the fifth member of the crew to learn Haki after Usopp awakened it in Dressrosa.

"I did?" Nami said confused

"Yeah, right before you dodged that sword and whacked the guy in the head. Did you feel or see something strange?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah I think I did. It was brief but it gave me just enough time to react."

"You are going to need a lot more training to get better at it. But it looks like your first lesson paid off. Maybe you can try dodging rocks next time." Nami just punched him on the head for suggesting something like that. 'How did she already manage to do it?' he thought. 'She did pick it up pretty fast.' He wasn't sure how she had managed to do it. Maybe she was capable all along?

"Did I mention that hurts Nami."

"Maybe you already know Busoshoku Haki, a punch shouldn't hurt me like yours do."

That made Nami happy for some reason unbeknownst to her current self

Usopp ran down earlier to hear the conversation his friends were having. He finally got a chance to bring something up.

"That was the Hao whatever Haki?" Usopp asked

"Yeah it was." Luffy said

"Weird wasn't it" Zoro said

"Yeah, it was. I felt that chill you were talking about" Usopp said

By this point Jango had snapped out of his daze and had called the Nyaban Brothers

"You called, Captain Jango?"

"Zoro don't take them lightly."

"What are you talking about? Look at them."

"I know how they look, they act different from how they fight. Just don't get distracted and don't let them take your swords."

"If you say so."

"Buchi, Sham. We have to get up this hill. I want you two to take those guys out."

"That's impossible" Sham said

"Just go." Jango said

Sham and Buchi began running to attack Zoro. With Luffy's warning Zoro took out his other two swords and got ready to face his opponents.

"Cat Claws Attack!" The brothers said

The brothers began attacking Zoro with their claws. However Zoro easily blocked the barrage of attacks and in no time had not only countered but beat the brothers.

The Black Cat Pirates were just beginning to wake up when they heard a familiar voice

"WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON?" Kuro yelled coming up on all of his former men aside from Jango down on the ground

"The sun has been up for a while now. Why hasn't everything gone according to plan?" Kuro began asking Jango

"These brats got in our way." Jango said

"You couldn't take care of four kids?" Kuro asked agitated

One Black Cat pirate had finally woken up. He saw a tall man in a black suit with a long duffel bag and immediately became terrified.

"You" Kuro asked getting his katana cat claws out of his bag.

"Yes, Captain Kuro" the man said scared

"What happened here?" Kuro asked agitated

"I don't know. We were attacking those kids and then something happened. The next thing I knew I was waking up on the ground along with everyone else." He was terrified but it wasn't the kids who scared him it was how Kuro would react.

Kuro was not happy with that answer. He disappeared and the next thing most of them noticed was that he had attacked the pirate who he had just talked to. More pirates were waking up and Kuro asked them what happened. They shrugged their shoulders looking at each other and back to their former captain. Not satisfied with that either he disappeared again and began attacking his former crew indiscriminately. That was until a certain rubber pirate stopped him.

At the top of the hill the Nami, Zoro and Usopp were talking.

"Wow, all of the sudden he was just gone." Usopp said

"I'm not surprised by what he can do anymore." Zoro said

"Speak for yourself." Nami said

Back near the bottom of the slope Luffy had stopped Kuro.

"I'm surprised you could keep up." Kuro said

Luffy was just seething with anger at what Kuro had done

"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO YOUR NAKAMA?" Luffy yelled in Kuro's face

"Some of them aren't even awake." He said having calmed down a little

"Luffy." Nami said shocked at what he said

"They are all expendable, as long as my plan succeeds." Kuro said

Luffy just punched Kuro right in the face

"That hurt you brat."

Kuro began swaying back and forth and disappeared again

'That's kinda similar to the Soru' Luffy thought as he stomped his feet down and disappeared as well.

In no time Luffy had caught Kuro

"How did you keep up with me?" Kuro asked surprised that anyone was as fast as he was.

Before Luffy could answer a voice was calling out to Kuro. It was Kaya.

"Klahadore" Kaya said

"Kaya, what are you doing here?" Usopp asked.

"Merry said that Klahadore attacked him. I had to find out for myself."

Luffy had let go of Kuro and he began talking with Jango about Kaya

"Jango" Kuro said

"I want you to go make sure Kaya writes her will and leaves everything to me, her loyal and faithful butler."

That one statement made Kaya fall to the ground. She was shocked to say the least.

"Yes captain" Jango said

"Zoro, Usopp." Don't let him get near her. "You don't have to tell me that." Usopp said

"Nami." Make sure she stays safe. Nami just nodded. She ran up to Kaya and grabbed her by the wrist and moved her away from the fighting

Jango walked up the slope but before he made it half way up Zoro and Usopp stopped him.

Kuro disappeared again

"This really isn't any fun." Luffy said

Luffy stayed in one place but he was following Kuro's movement.

"Gear Second: Busoshoku Koka" Luffy said punching the air to the side of him and turning his hand and forearm black.

"Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol" Luffy said as he punched Kuro in the stomach knocking him into the cliff side.

Luffy disappeared and reappeared in front of Kuro. Luffy grabbed each of Kuros's swords and snapped them just above the connection to the glove. He then took each of the ten blades and pushed them one by one into the rock wall.

At the top of the slope Zoro and Usopp had beaten Jango.

"How could my plans have failed?" Kuro questioned

"Easy" Luffy said

"You see your crew as tools. I don't care where you go after this but you are to never come back here." Luffy said scowling at his foe. He grabbed Kuro by the collar and threw him down to the rest of his injured crew.

Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp and Kaya watched as the Black Cat pirates got on their ship and sailed away. They watched until the ship was a spot on the horizon. The three young Usopp pirates had been watching the whole thing from the safety of the bushes. They heard everything and saw their captain protect their village from pirates.

"Woops, looks like they missed one" Luffy said pointing to Jango who was out cold on the ground.

Kaya turned to Luffy "You asked me earlier if I could get you a ship correct?"

"Yes I did."

"I believe that there is something I can give you as thanks for protecting me and this island."

"Really?" Luffy asked knowing exactly what she was going to give to them.

"If that's the case, we can put him on our small boat and set him out on his own" Zoro said

Nami went down to the boat to grab all of her treasure. Zoro went with her carrying Jango over his shoulder. With Nami's treasure secure Jango was put in the boat and Zoro pushed it out on to the sea to drift. The two walked back up to Luffy, Usopp and Kaya.

"As thanks I would like you all to stay in my home. I have plenty of spare rooms."

"Thank you." Luffy said

"Why don't you stay with us Usopp?" Luffy asked and looked to Kaya for approval.

"Of course all of you are welcome" Kaya said

Sometime later at the mansion Zoro and Usopp were relaxing but two people were missing.

"Have you seen Luffy or Nami?" Usopp asked

Zoro just shrugged and went back to sleep.

Earlier while walking to the mansion Luffy was talking to Kaya. "Is there was any place to get a suit for myself and a dress for Nami?"

"That is no problem I will take care of the arrangements."

While Zoro and Usopp were relaxing in another part of the mansion a few tailors were measuring Luffy and Nami for their outfits.

"Why are we the only ones getting fitted for nice clothes Luffy?" Nami asked

"It's just for the place I want to go next. I just think it would be fun." Luffy said innocently

"Where are we going next?" Nami asked curiously

"We are going to Baratie, the floating sea restaurant."

"So why are we dressing up?" Nami asked

"It's a nice place, it's just for fun." Luffy said with his usual grin

Nami wasn't going to get any more out of Luffy so she just went along with it. They finished up and went on their way.

The next morning Luffy, Zoro, and Nami went with Kaya to go see what she was going to give them. Usopp had gone to pack his stuff for his journey out on the sea.

Luffy, Zoro, Nami and Kaya made it down the shore just as Merry was dropping the anchor.

"This is for us" Luffy said. Internally he was yelling. He was so excited to see an old friend again.

'I am so glad to see you again Merry' Luffy thought. 'This time we are going to take better care of you. Unfortunately I don't think you will fare well in the New World.'

"Yes it is, please accept it." Kaya said

"I've prepared everything that's needed to set sail aboard the ship." Kaya said to Luffy who was looking at his favorite place to sit.

"Thank you, that's really thoughtful of you" Luffy said

Zoro was looking up at the ship feeling nostalgic for a reason he truly didn't understand yet.

"Oh and your special items are in your respective rooms." Kaya said

"Thank you for taking care of that so fast." Luffy said

"You are very welcome."

As Luffy, Zoro and Nami were admiring the ship they heard someone yelling. It was Usopp rolling down the slope with his giant backpack full of stuff. Luffy and Zoro each put a foot in the air and stopped Usopp from rolling off into the water and into their new ship.

"So, you really are setting out to sea Usopp-san?"

"Yeah, I should leave before I change my mind."

"Don't try to stop me." Usopp said

"I won't stop you. I had a feeling that you would."

"Next time when I return to this village, I'll tell you stories about my adventures that are a lot more outrageous than my previous tall tales!"

"I'll be looking forward to it." Kaya said

"You guys take care too. I'll see you again someday" Usopp said to Luffy and company who had gotten on the Going Merry.

"What are you talking about, hurry up and get on." Zoro said

"We're already nakama aren't we?" Luffy asked

"I'm the captain" Usopp said overly excited

"Idiot, no you're not. I'm the captain." Luffy said laughing along with Nami and Zoro

With all four pirates on board they readied the ship to set sail. At last the four Straw Hats left Syrup Village.

** Back to the future Straw Hats watching through the portal**

"So is it worth asking what was different at all?" Franky asked kind of bored

"Nope, not really" Usopp said

"Of course anything with Haki never happened, the ways we beat those pirates changed." Zoro said

"I'm glad we were still able to protect Kaya."

"Brook, what did you think of seeing the Going Merry?" Usopp asked

"That's right, you never actually got to meet Merry." Nami said

"No I didn't but it was nice to finally see the ship you all told me about. It would have been nice to actually meet this ship." Brook said

"You have met her already." Usopp said. Merry's brave spirit lives on in the Sunny."

Sanji wasn't joining in on the conversation. He was on fire over off to the side by himself.

"Marimo, Usopp do you know why Luffy and Nami would go get nice clothes together?" Sanji asked still fuming

"If I had to guess it would be to get this reaction out of you. You always act crazy in front of pretty girls." Zoro said

"You think I am pretty?" Nami said

"Don't get ahead of yourself witch. I am just making a point." Zoro rebutted

"Don't you dare talk to Nami-san that way shitty swordsman."

"Get over it dartboard brow."

After that they went into full fight mode to once again be stopped by Nami's fists.

"So that was what a week's worth of progress?" Zoro asked

"Something like that." Nami said trying to remember the details.

"I only started doing daily log entries once we were on the Merry." Nami said

"So anything before that the exact dates get fuzzy."

"But if you had to guess Nami-san" Robin inquired

"Definitely no more than two weeks." Nami said pretty sure of herself

"You know, seeing how this is from Luffy's perspective we might finally see what happened to him during his two years away from us." Robin said

"Aside from his training with Rayleigh" Zoro said

"That means we will eventually see what happened to Luffy-san on Amazon Lily."

"Just thinking about it gives me a nose bleed even though I have no blood. Yohohoho. Skull Joke"

"That means we will see the Kaizoku Jote Boa Hancock." Sanji said with hearts in his eyes and a nose bleed.

"Let's let the two perverts over there have their fantasies."

"We can only guess how strong he is now. There is no telling what he will change." Nami said

"He is likely already almost as strong if not stronger than he was when he disappeared earlier today." Usopp said

"He did have ten years to improve on the skills he learned from Rayleigh during our time apart. I would bet you are right." Zoro said

"I told him when he left not to make any drastic changes." The ghost said

"Shanks's arm? Luffy warning Ace about Blackbeard?" Nami asked the ghost

"Ace's death?" Zoro asked knowing it was still a touchy subject even three years later.

"The first two probably won't make too much of an impact on history. On the other hand Ace's death is a pretty big part of your lives. It was the reason he decided to train for two years. It was so that he wouldn't lose anyone again. It was plenty of time for you all to get stronger so that you could be ready for the challenges ahead in the New World. I only can hope that Luffy understands what the repercussions might be for changing the past."

The eight Straw Hats sweat dropped. They looked at the ghost like he was crazy.

"You have to be kidding right." Nami said. You should know who you are talking about."

"Well he had ten more years to think about what he was going to do." Sanji said

"I believe he still has plenty to show us, just wait and see." The ghost said

"Maybe all this time has actually done him some good."

They all looked at him like he was crazy.

"Maybe not." The ghost said sweat dropping


	11. Sanji and the Baratie

The Straw hats had defeated Captain Kuro, received a "new ship" as a thank you from Kaya. They left their small little row boat behind and Usopp joined the crew. As for Nami as far as Luffy was concerned she was already officially a member of the crew regardless of how she acts when they get to their next destination.

"What do you guys think of this for our symbol?" Luffy asked

"You can't be serious." The trio said

"We are not flying that." Zoro said

"What about this?" Usopp said

"Who told you to make your flag." Zoro said hitting Usopp on the head

"Ouch, alright I get it."

A little while later Usopp showed them their new symbol.

"Now that is better" Luffy said

It was the mark that they had flown for years. The traditional skull and crossbones with the addition of Luffy's soon to be trademark Straw Hat. There was something about doing it all again that made Luffy really happy.

"Now Usopp can you paint it on the sail?" Luffy asked

"Of course"

Two hours later Usopp had finished the painting the symbol on the sail. While they were sailing Luffy saw a familiar rock jutting out of the ocean and remembered the people who were hiding behind it. Luffy began practicing with the cannon. Unfortunately he was still a terrible shot.

"Let me try." Usopp said

Usopp loaded the cannon and set the trajectory he figured he would need to actually hit the rock. He lit the fuse and much to his own surprise he hit his target.

"Sugoi" Luffy said amazed that Usopp hit it but also glad even now he was an amazing shot.

Twenty minutes later the crew was inside the cabin talking about their next move when someone started breaking barrels and making a lot of noise on deck.

"Come out you pirates!" The person said

"I'll go check it out." Luffy said getting up from his seat and making his way out the door.

"Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter who I am!"

"How many are there?" Zoro asked to Nami and Usopp who were looking out the window of the kitchen door.

"Only one" Nami said

"Then leave it to him." Zoro said going back to his nap.

"I've killed a countless number of pirates. I can't forgive a no name pirate like you who dares to try and kill my partner?!"

"That voice…" Zoro said getting up to go check it out

"Partner? I don't know what's going on." Luffy said completely aware of what was happening.

"But don't damage our ship!" Luffy said grabbing the man and throwing him against a wall.

"Hey you! Aren't you Johnny?" Zoro asked the man lying on the deck

"Who is it? Calling out my name with no respect" Johnny said looking up and only seeing a silhouette and no face. He stood up to get the sun out of his eyes. In doing so he recognized who was talking to him

"Zoro-aniki" Johnny said all excited to see an old friend.

"So it is you Johnny."

"Why are you here, aniki?"

"Where's Yosaku? You're not together?"

"You two know each other?" Luffy said pretending not to know already.

"What are you doing on a pirate ship aniki?" Johnny asked again.

"I'm a pirate now."

"You're a pirate now?" Johnny said surprised

"Yeah it's not so bad" Zoro said "Where's Yosaku isn't he always with you?"

Usopp and Nami were still looking out the window. The person Zoro seemed to know ran over to the side of the ship. Zoro followed him. A few minutes later a sick Yosaku was lying on the deck of the Merry. Yosaku was bleeding and was very pale.

"He was fine until a while ago. Recently he turned pale and lost consciousness. His teeth started to fall out and his old wounds started to open up and start bleeding. I don't know what to do. I took him to that rocky island to rest but then it was destroyed by a cannonball and this was the only ship in the area!"

"I'm sorry" Usopp and Luffy both said in unison

"Are you guys stupid?" Nami yelled

"What?" Zoro said

"It's scurvy."

"Luffy, Usopp go get me the limes from storage." Nami said

A few minutes later Usopp and Luffy came back with a barrel of limes. Nami told them what to do and they began squeezing the juice out of the limes and into Yosaku's mouth. After going through nearly the whole barrel Yosaku finally got up and began to dance around for a few minutes only to fall back down.

"You shouldn't be moving around yet idiot." Nami said

Johnny brought Yosaku into the ship to rest. A while later as they finally saw their destination up ahead a Marine ship sailed up next to them.

"Oh great" Luffy said 'I have to avoid damaging that old man's ship. I don't want to be a chore boy again.' Luffy thought

"I've never seen that flag before." Lieutenant Fullbody said

"We just created it earlier today." Luffy said proudly

"Who is the captain of this ship?" Fullbody asked

"I am the captain, my names Luffy."

"Destroy that ship it's an eyesore!" Fullbody said having seen enough.

Some marines on the ship got the cannon ready to fire. A few seconds later there was a large bang. The marines were foolish enough to aim the cannon right at Luffy. He really didn't even have to move.

"Busoshoku koka" Luffy said as his arm turned black.

When there was no smoke or fire the marines took a closer look and were surprised by what they saw. Luffy had caught the cannonball and now he was just playing with it.

"No way" Johnny and Yosaku said in unison. They couldn't believe their eyes. Usopp fell on his butt, mouth wide open a look of shock on his face.

"Not as amazing the second time." Nami said kind of sarcastic and Zoro nodded agreeing.

"What do you mean second time?" Usopp and Johnny said in unison. Johnny was hiding behind the door to avoid being seen.

"He's done this before. It's still cool to see but not quite as amazing as the first time." Nami said

"Now what should I do with this?" Luffy said to no one in particular.

The marines backed away from the cannon. Clearly it wasn't going to be effective. By this point Fullbody and his lady friend were already on a small boat heading to Baratie.

"Just get rid of it idiot." Nami said

Luffy complied and hurled the thing as far as he could. In the process he sent it flying past the heads of the marines on the ship. He threw it faster than the cannon could shoot it.

"I recommend you guys leave us alone and go dock your ship. We aren't here to cause any trouble." Luffy said putting on an intimidating face just to get the point marines complied and left them alone.

"That was amazing Luffy-aniki" Johnny said

"You guys go on ahead."

"You aren't coming with us?" Zoro asked

"Nope, we will see you guys inside."

"Nami it's time to get ready." Luffy said, Nami nodded and went to her room to get ready

"Wait, what are talking about?" Usopp asked

"Oh just having some fun." Luffy walked off to the guys' room to get changed.

Once the Merry was docked Zoro, Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku went in.

Luffy had finished changing and was outside on deck waiting for Nami. A few minutes later Nami walked out onto deck.

"You look beautiful Nami."

"Thank you" Nami said blushing

"Are you ready?"

Nami nodded and the two got off the ship and headed towards the main doors

Inside the restaurant Zoro and company were enjoying their lunch when the doors opened and Luffy and Nami walked into the restaurant arm in arm. Everyone turned to look at the pair that just walked in. Zoro, Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku's jaws just dropped to the floor. They were surprised to say the least. Luffy had on a black pinstripe suit with a maroon shirt, his sandals and his straw hat. Nami had on a maroon form fitting dress with a long sleeve on the left side to cover the Arlong mark tattoo on her shoulder. The dress was cut low enough to show off a little cleavage. And she had on open toe blackhigh heels.

Sanji being the temporary waiter had been filling up glasses of wine for Fullbody and Moodie when his attention shifted to the "couple" that entered the restaurant. Sanji went full Casanova and abandoned what he was doing to greet the people at the door.

"My lady would you be so kind as to abandon this loser and spend time with me?" Sanji asked on one knee grabbling Nami's hand with hearts in his eyes.

"Leave the lady alone please." Luffy said annoyed at Sanji's playboy routine.

"Well, alright then sir. Let me show you to your table." Sanji said getting up irritated at Luffy.

Sanji walked them over to a table and pulled out Nami's chair and pushed it in for her.

"Please consider my offer my lady." Sanji said trying to be charismatic.

"Here are you menus I will be back to take your order soon. If you need anything feel free to call me. My name is Sanji my sweet princess."

From across the restaurant Fullbody got up and yelled at Sanji.

"Are you going to let those pirates eat here?" Fullbody yelled in Sanji's general direction.

This got all the customers nervous. Luffy stood up and addressed the people "We may be pirates but we are just here to enjoy the food. I have heard nothing but great things about this place. I have no intention of ruining anyone's meal" Luffy sat back down and continued to look at the menu.

That calmed the patrons down but irritated Fullbody. He noticed a bug crawling on the floor. He stepped on it, picked it up and put it in his soup.

"Waiter" Fullbody said

Sanji walked over to the couple. "I'm not a damn waiter" Sanji said eyebrow twitching

"There is a bug in my soup"

"How can you serve this to a paying customer?"

"Did you try scooping it out?" Sanji asked

That annoyed Fullbody. He stood up and smashed the table with his arm. "Do you know who I am I can have this restaurant shut down."

"How dare you waste food." Sanji said really pissed off.

"Concasure" Sanji said as he kicked Fullbody in the ribs causing him to bend over holding his stomach. Sanji then kicked him in the back of the head causing him to fall down over the broken table.

"What do you think you are doing to our customer Sanji?" Patty asked

"Shut up you bastard." He destroyed a table and more importantly he ruined perfectly good food.

"Sanji you shouldn't do that to our customers." Zeff said walking down the spiral staircase in the middle of the restaurant.

"What are talking about old man, you know he deserved it." Sanji said

"Just because I said you shouldn't do that doesn't mean that I don't agree with your actions."

Before Sanji could get in another word a marine walked into the restaurant holding his side.

"Lieutenant Fullbody, the Krieg pirate escaped."

Fullbody got up, he had a look of terror and shock on his face.

"The Krieg Pirate" many of the customers whispered

"They are supposed to be the strongest in the East Blue." Other customers whispered

"How did he get away? We haven't fed him for three days. He shouldn't have the strength to move around let alone fight his way out of a cell."

Before the marine could say anything else he was shot in the back and fell down. Gin walked in to the restaurant like nothing happened. He walked over to a table, sat down and put his feet up.

"Give me some food" Gin demanded

"Do you have any money?" Patty asked

Gin didn't say anything. He just pointed a gun at Patty's head.

"So you don't have any money" Patty said.

Gin didn't move a muscle. Patty responded by cracking Gin over the head with his huge forearms destroying a perfectly good chair in the process.

"If you can't pay you are not a customer" Patty said standing over Gin.

Gin's stomach grumbled. Sanji walked up the stairs to the kitchen and started cooking. Patty continued to beat on a pretty much defenseless Gin. That was until Patty curtsied to the customers telling them they could get back to their meals in peace.

Patty picked up Gin and took him out the back door of the restaurant.

"And don't come back" Patty said dropping Gin on the floor.

"If you would excuse me Nami, I will be back in a little bit." Luffy got up and started heading for the back door. Nami just looked at Luffy confused.

"Where are you going?" Nami asked

"I am going to ask Sanji if he wants to join my crew."

Luffy walked out the door to see Gin sitting against the railing. Not saying anything Luffy sat on the railing near Gin. A few moments later Sanji walked out with a plate of food and a glass of water.

"Here you go" Sanji said

"I don't want it" Gin said but his stomach betrayed him.

"Just eat it" Sanji said "Anyone who is hungry is a customer to me."

Gin swallowed his pride and reluctantly began to eat the meal that was prepared for him.

"This is delicious" Gin said

"I am glad you're enjoying it."

"You, what are you doing here." Sanji said finally acknowledging Luffy's presence.

"I am here to talk to you." Luffy said with his trademark grin

"Why would you want to talk to me? You are here with a beautiful lady you bastard."

Luffy could only laugh. "You're right she is beautiful."

"But I came to talk to you, I want you to join my crew."

"You're really a pirate?"

"Yeah, I want you to be the cook on my ship."

"I refuse"

"I refuse your refusal" Luffy said pouting

"You're a pirate do you have a dream?" Gin asked

"Yup, I am going to be King of the Pirates."

"King of the Pirates." Sanji said

Gin had just finished his food before Luffy spoke about his dream. If he hadn't he would have chocked.

"You can't be serious." Gin said. "Do you know what that means?"

"Yeah, I know what it means. It means I am the freest man on the sea." Luffy said laughing

Gin and Sanji just looked at each other

"The Grand Line is a terrible place. You're still young don't go risking your life for a dream." Gin said

"But I am willing to risk my life to make sure my dream comes true."

"You don't have to listen to me I am just warning you."

"I appreciate the advice."

Sanji got a boat ready for Gin and he was getting ready to sail off.

"Thank you for the food Sanji-san."

"Glad you enjoyed it."

"Would it be okay if I came back sometime?"

"Of course, when ever you want."

Zeff walked outside to find Gin and Sanji talking

"Sanji what do you think you are doing?" Zeff asked from the second floor

"I'm sorry Sanji-san, you are going to get in trouble for feeding me for free."

"I am not doing anything Old man." Sanji said picking up the empty plate and tossing it in the ocean.

"See no proof, now there is no reason for me to get yelled at."

"Thank you very much."

"Don't worry about it."

"Back to work Sanji."

"Yeah, yeah" Sanji said taking a puff of his cigarette and walking back into the restaurant.

Luffy walked back into the restaurant and sat back down with Nami.

"How did it go?" Nami asked slightly annoyed.

"He refused but I will get him to change his mind."

"Why do you want him to join?"

"He reminds me of an old friend."

After that short talk about business Luffy and Nami had a nice lunch cracking jokes about the members of the crew and about the blond haired chef. They paid for their lunch and walked out of the restaurant to the Merry.

"So how did your date go?" Zoro asked teasing Luffy and Nami

"It wasn't a date." Nami said blushing

"It looks like it was a date." Zoro said

"You two looked like you were having fun." Usopp added

Nami punched Zoro and Usopp on the head leaving large bumps. She huffed and began walking away to her room to go change.

"So captain."

"How long do we have to stay here?" Zoro asked

"I want to stay for four days or so,"

"Four days?"

"Really, there is nothing to do here."

"Don't worry, it will be worth it."

"If you say so."

Luffy walked off to change back into his regular clothes

An uneventful three days passed. They all tried their hand at cooking no one but Nami had any real skill. She charged them to have her cook for them. She wanted more than they paid at Baratie so they ended up eating there.

On the fourth day it was foggy out and no one could see very far out on to the ocean. But while they were having lunch Luffy could sense the Krieg pirates and the remembered the beat up galleon that was coming closer.

"Things are going to get interesting real soon." Luffy said

"What are you talking about Luffy-aniki" Yosaku asked

"What's coming Luffy?" Nami asked just ignoring Yosaku

"Don Krieg is coming" Luffy said smiling

"How do you know that?"

"Luffy can sense people."

"He can really do that? That's so cool."

"I think about a hundred are coming. But most of them are unconscious."

"Then we have nothing to worry about." Usopp said

"Just wait and see guys." Luffy said

Not long after that people started to notice a large ship getting closer. They recognized the flag belonging to the Krieg pirates. They started to freak out. Not long after that Gin and Krieg walked into the restaurant.

"Man he looks pathetic." Luffy said

"Please, can I have some food?" Krieg begged

"I haven't eaten anything for days. I'm starving"

"We have plenty of money this time." Gin said

Sanji looked at the pathetic state of Krieg and went up to cook him some food.

"Someone call the Marines." Patty said. "We have to take advantage of this, They might never have a chance like this again."

"I won't do anything. Once I eat I will leave."

"Don't listen to him" Carne said "He will say or do anything to win."

Sanji made his way back down the stairs and in the process kicked Patty in the face sending him over the railing and onto the floor below. Sanji put a large bowl of food and a bottle of sake down in front of Krieg.

"What are you doing?" Carne asked "Take that food away from him now Sanji."

"Sanji-san"

"There is no telling what he will do if he regains his strength."

Krieg began devouring the food in front of him. Every so often he would take a drink of sake. Just as Krieg finished eating he stood up and went to attack the man who just gave him food. Before he could hurt Sanji Luffy intervened.

"What do you think you are doing you bastard? How dare you attack the man who essentially saved your life."

Everyone in the restaurant stood there with their mouths wide open. They couldn't believe what they had just heard. In fact they didn't know what they had just seen. One second the boy in the Straw Hat was sitting with his friends enjoying a nice meal the next he is stopping Krieg from attacking Sanji.

"How did you do that?" Sanji asked

"I am just really fast." Luffy said grinning

"I am sorry but it would be good if all customers would be so kind as to leave the restaurant before things get really ugly." Luffy said not looking away from Krieg. All of the patrons nodded and got out of the restaurant as fast as they could.

"How did you do that boy?"

"Easy, I am stronger and faster than you." Luffy said

"There is no one stronger than me."

"I am the ruler of the East Blue."

Krieg tried to remove his arm from Luffy's grasp but he couldn't.

"Let go of me boy. You are going to get hurt." Luffy complied

"Good. Now I want you cooks to go prepare 100 meals for my men."

"We are not going to listen to you." Carne said

"I am giving you an order. Once you are done with the food this will become my ship. As you can see I am in need of a new ship and this will work perfectly."

"Where are you going Sanji?"

"I am going to cook one hundred meals."

"We aren't going to let you do that"

All the cooks of Baratie circled around Sanji holding giant utensils preventing him from moving

"If you want to stop me go ahead. It's too much of a pain to think about what they might do after they are fed. I am a cook. When people are hungry I feed them."

Patty had heard enough and knocked Sanji to the ground

"I will protect this ship."

"What can one man do to all of us? Pirates come to this restaurant every day. I'm always prepared for a fight."

Patty took out his lobster bazooka, aimed it at Krieg and fired. To everyone's surprise Don Krieg survived the attack. Only his shirt and jacket were destroyed leaving behind his golden wootz steel armor.

"This dessert is terrible." Krieg said as a dozen guns appeared out of his armor.

Krieg began shooting at all of the cooks in Baratie. All of the cooks screamed in terror as he began firing.

"Gear Second" "Buso Koka" Luffy said in quick succession and disappeared.

Finally Krieg stopped firing only to be shocked at the outcome. Not a single chef had been hit. Luffy appeared in between Krieg and the cooks.

"Is that all you got." Luffy said with black haki coated forearms and emitting steam from his legs. Luffy emptied both of his hands. Everyone was stunned at what fell out. It was every single bullet Krieg had fired.

"What the hell are you?"

"I am a rubber man, I ate the Gomu Gomu no mi." The smoke dissipated and his black fists vanished.

"A devil fruit?"

"That's right."

Krieg was going to attack Luffy again but Zeff came down the stairs with a giant bag.

"Here, there should be enough in there for one hundred people."

"Owner Zeff" a few of the cooks said

"That's Zeff?" Krieg said looking scared

"What are you thinking?"

"If his crew gets better they will take over this restaurant."

"Only if they've got the guts to attack us. Isn't that right Krieg? Your crew couldn't make it through the Grand Line? Could they?"

"Even with a fleet of 50 ships they couldn't do it?"

"So Red Foot Zeff is alive."

"Yeah I am but that is none of your concern."

"As you can see I make a living cooking now. What do you want?"

"You must have kept a log of your travels through the Grand Line. Hand it over to me."

"I did do that, but I am not going to give it to you. That log is the pride of my entire crew; it's far too valuable for the likes of you."

"Then I will have to take it from you. I must have that log book."

"With it I will find the One Piece and become King of the Pirates."

"You become King of the Pirates? That's hilarious."

"I will be King of the Pirates." Luffy said proudly

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"Do whatever you want I am just stating a fact."

"This is no game."

"I know it's not. But I will be the one to conquer the Grand Line."

"It was just a lack of information that my fleet of fifty ships and five thousand men only lasted seven days."

"Just seven day." Patty said

"I spent four years on the Grand Line." Luffy said like it was no big deal.

"WHAT" Everyone yelled, Zeff couldn't believe what he heard.

"You are lying kid. There is no way you could have lasted that long." Krieg said

"I don't care what you think, but it is the truth."

"I've had enough."

"I am going to bring this food to my men."

"When I get back you better be ready to turn this ship over to me as well as that log book."

Krieg grabbed the bag of food and walked out of the restaurant.

With Krieg out of the room all attention turned to Luffy

"Kid did you really spend four years on the Grand Line?"

"I don't lie." Luffy said grinning

"Gin you said that you knew nothing about the Grand Line, right? But you've been there? What happened?"

"I am not sure what happened. On our seventh day in the Grand Line something happened that I still can't explain. Just one man destroyed our fleet of fifty ships."

"WHAT." Most of the cooks said

"That's incredible." Luffy said knowing that Mihawk was the man to destroy those ships

"Out of nowhere one man just started attacking our fleet destroying one ship after another."

"A freak storm saved the flag ship but the others weren't as lucky. We just barely made it out. It looked like he had the eyes of a hawk."

"Hawk Eye Mihawk." Zeff said

Zoro couldn't believe what he had heard

"Do you know who he is Zoro?" Luffy asked

"He's the man I have been looking for. I went out to sea to find him. He's the strongest swordsman in the world!"

Outside on the beaten up pirate ship Krieg brought the food to his men and they stuffed their faces. Krieg told them they were going to take over the restaurant and they were going back to the Grand Line. The pirates were initially hesitant but after one of their crew mates was shot for voicing a concern about going back they fell into line. Krieg ordered his men to attack and take over the ship. They were making their way down from the deck of the beaten up ship when something happened. The ship was cut in three.

Everyone in the restaurant ran out to look at what was going on. Nami, Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku were shocked to say the least.

"Don Krieg, It's the man who destroyed our fleet." A pirate said

"We're doomed." Another pirate said

"It doesn't look like he is armed with anything special." A cook said

"His weapon is on his back." Zeff said

"He destroyed that huge galleon with a sword?"

"He's the swordsman who stands above all of the world's swordsmen." Zeff said

"I can't believe I get to challenge him so soon." Zoro said

"Why did you do this?" A pirate asked

"To kill time" Mihawk said

A pirate took out two guns and shot at Mihawk.

"W..What?!"

"He redirected the bullets with just his sword." Zoro said

"That's ridiculous!"

"I've never seen someone so graceful with a sword."

"A sword with strength alone is not powerful." Hawk Eye said

"This ship was cut apart with that sword?"

"Of course"

"It's clear now. You're the strongest! I've been sailing the seas to face you." Zoro said tying his bandana around his head

"What's your goal?"

"To be the best"

"Fool"

"You have time to spare, don't you? Let's duel?"

"Duel such a pitiful weakling? If you really were a fine swordsman, you would be able to tell the difference in our strength without even drawing a blade. Challenging me you have to be brave? Or simply reckless?"

"This is for my dream and for a promise to my friend."

Mihawk took off his necklace to reveal a small blade hidden in a cross

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Though you've earned a name for yourself as swordsman this is still the East Blue. It is the weakest of the four seas. And this is the smallest blade that I have"

"Quit mocking me! Just don't regret it when you die!"

"You're but someone who's yet to experience the real world."

"Oni..giri." Zoro said but his attack was stopped dead in its tracks

"What's going on? I can't move. This technique has never failed me before, but now he is stopping me with a toy. Is he really that much stronger than me? I can't be this far away."

Zoro began attacking with all he had but Mihawk deflected or avoided every attack.

"Such untapped potential."

"Just with that little thing, he's taking on all three of Zoro's swords." A krieg pirate said shocked

"I…I didn't come all this way to lose to a toy. If I could just defeat this man…"

Zoro tried attacking but missed and fell down breathing hard.

"What is your goal? Why do you seek power, you weakling?"

Johnny and Yosaku had heard enough and tried to attack Mihawk but didn't make it very far. Luffy grabbed the collars of their shirts and pulled them back.

"Don't interfere." Luffy said

"How can you watch this Luffy?" Nami asked

"Zoro needs this. He needs to learn that he has got a long way to go."

"How can you say that?" Nami asked

"Just look, Mihawk is toying with him. I know it's painful to watch. I'm not enjoying this but it has to happen."

"I still don't understand but if you say so."

"How can you say that Luffy-aniki?"

"What would Zoro say if he found out you two tried to interrupt his duel?"

Johnny and Yosaku looked at each other and said "He would be pissed"

"Exactly, now sit here and be patient."

"I can't afford to lose!" Zoro said getting back up

"Tora…gari" Zoro said setting up and trying to attack Mihawk only to be stabbed in the chest.

"Do you wish to have this go through your heart? Why don't you step back?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure why myself. But if I were to take even one step back, I believe that all of those important promises 'til now, will all go to waste and I'll never be able to challenge you, ever again."

"Yes, that's called losing."

"That's why I can't step back."

"Even if it means death?"

"Death would be better!"

'What strong will!' Mihawk thought. 'Preferring death over defeat.' Mihawk took his toy like dagger out of Zoro's chest

"Kid, what is your name?"

"Roronoa Zoro!" he said getting into a stance for one final attack

"I'll remember it. It's been a while since I've seen such a strong will. As a gesture to a fellow swordsman, I shall use my black sword Yoru, the most powerful sword in the world, to end this."

"I appreciate your offer. This is my last chance. World's strongest… or death?"

"Santoryu Ogi" Zoro said as he began spinning his swords. "Sanzen Sekai" Zoro said trying to attack only to have two of his swords break apart.

"I lost. Losing wasn't something I'd ever imagine possible." Zoro said resheathing Wado Ichimonji . "So this is the level that I am going to have to reach to be the greatest swordsman in the world?"

"What now?" Mihawk said as Zoro stood up and turned to face him and held his arms out.

"A scar on a swordsman's back is shameful."

"Well said" Mihawk said as he cut zoro from his left shoulder to his right hip

"Zoro!" Luffy, Usopp, Nami, Johnny and Yosaku yelled

"Don't rush your death, young one."

'Why would he do that?' Sanji said. 'His opponent was the world's greatest. The outcome was obvious. Why didn't you give up your ambitions, realizing death was inevitable?'

"It simple to give up your ambition" Sanji yelled

"Even the pirate hunter Zoro didn't stand a chance!" a pirate said

"Aniki" Johnny and Yosaku jumped into the water to get Zoro.

"Bastard." Luffy yelled as he launched himself over to Mihawk.

"You're the young swordsman's nakama? Thank you for watching over him. Don't worry, he is still alive."

"Oh that's good."

"Quickly get him on the ship!" Usopp said from the Merry.

A few minutes later Zoro was on board the Merry and Usopp had just come back with some supplies to treat Zoro's huge wound. "Here's some medicine! We have to get this stitched up."

"It's still too early for you to die. My name is Dracule Mihawk! Discover your true self, the true world, become stronger! However long it may take, I shall await you at the top. Surpass this sword! Surpass me! Roronoa Zoro!"

"For Hawk Eye Mihawk to say such a thing." Zeff said

"Boy, what's your goal?"

"King of the Pirates"

"That's a difficult path, harder than surpassing me."

"He's alive" Usopp yelled

"Luffy, can you hear me? Sorry for worrying you. If I don't become the greatest swordsman in the world that would be a problem for the king of the pirates right?"

"I will…I will never…LOSE AGAIN" Zoro said crying "Until I defeat him and become the greatest swordsman, I will not be defeated again! Got a problem with Kaizoku oh?"

"None" Luffy said laughing

"I hope we meet again."

"Hold on Hawk Eye. Didn't you come for my head?"

"That was my intention. But I've had more than enough fun. I am going home."

"You may have had your fun but I have not." Don's armor opened up and he began shooting at Mihawk.

"Fool" Mihawk said as he disappeared.

"He got away" He said with a vein throbbing in his forehead

With Mihawk gone Don turned his attention back to the Baratie. "Men with Hawk Eye gone we can focus on taking that ship. With that ship we will be able to attack enemy ships much easier."

"No one would think pirates were on such a silly looking ship." A pirate said

"You don't want this ship damaged right?" Luffy asked Zeff

"I would like to keep the damage to a minimum."

"Sounds good to me" Luffy said

Luffy concentrated and let out a blast of Haoshoku no Haki. He knocked out a majority of the Krieg pirates. All of the cooks as well as Sanji, Zeff, Johnny and Yosaku all looked at Luffy in awe as the pirates started to fall down unconscious. Left standing were twenty Krieg pirates, Krieg, Gin and Pearl who had yet to show himself.

"What the hell is with this kid?" One cook said

"Just how strong is he?" Another said

"That was Haki wasn't it kid. You really did spend time on the Grand Line. You wouldn't pick up something like that here. It looks like you didn't spend all of your time in paradise either."

"I told you, I don't lie"

"What did you do to my men?" Krieg asked agitated

"I used my Haki to knock them out. You know, I could have just as easily knocked every last one of you out but where would be the fun in that?"

"Don't mock me boy. You don't know who you are messing with I'm Don.."

"I get it your Don Krieg Ruler of the East Blue. We know who you are just shut the hell up."

"You brat"

"Go open the fins" Sanji told one of the cooks

"We're going to give the enemy a place to fight?"

"Who cares? We can't let the dining room become a battlefield."

The cook ran off and a few minutes later the fins came up out of the water.

"Good idea, can't go wrecking the inside of my new ship. Thanks for that."

"We didn't do this for you. I wouldn't have heard the end of this if the restaurant got destroyed."

"Now are you going to be good cooks and hand over the restaurant?"

"Hell no you bastard." Sanji said taking a puff of his cigarette

"It's about time you showed up Pearl." Krieg said as Pearl pulled himself up out of the water onto the fin.

"Can you beat him Sanji?" Luffy asked.

"Who do you think you are talking to? Of course I can beat him." Sanji said feeling very reassured by this rubber boy's presence which was weird as they really didn't know each other.

"Good." Luffy said going to sit on the railing

"As soon as Sanji's fight is over I will take down Krieg." Luffy said very straight faced

"You aren't going to fight me now Mugiwara?" Krieg yelled

"Where would be the fun in talking down the boss before the lackeys?"

"Big talk from such a scrawny brat"

"Attack" Krieg yelled

Five pirates started running towards Sanji only to get kicked and sent flying into Pearls shield. More pirates attacked Sanji but he used his Party Table Kick Course and sends them flying. Patty and Carne try to attack Pearl but are easily dispatched and left lying on the ground. Sanji goes to kick Pearl in the head but Pearl stops it with one of the shields on his arm.

Krieg was not happy that half of his remaining men were beaten by one cook. He began swinging a very large morning star around. He let it fly and it went straight towards the cooks. Luffy intercepted the morning star and sent it back towards the Don. It hit a mast from the destroyed ship and it fell down. It landed directly on Pearls head knocking him out.

"Sanji-san just leave, If you don't I will shot him." Gin said pointing a double barreled gun at Zeff's head

"Sanji, what do you think?" Luffy asked still sitting on the railing swinging his feet back and forth out of sheer boredom.

"Do you want to fight him or should I just knock him out?"

"If you attack me I will shot him."

"Hey, I am just sitting here. I am not involved."

"Gin I didn't appoint you Fleet Battle Commander for no reason. Kill him and the ship is ours."

Sanji vanished and reappeared behind Gin. Sanji kicked Gin in the back and sent him flying out on to the fin.

"You shouldn't have done that"

"Well I got you away from him didn't I?"

Pearl woke up and was pissed off now and started yelling at Sanji and Luffy.

"Be quiet, a mast fell on your head and knocked you out." Sanji yelled to Pearl.

"Sanji if you want to fight Gin I will take out these idiots."

"Do whatever you want."

"Gear Second" "Buso Koka" Luffy said and disappeared then reappeared right in front of Pearl

Luffy didn't say anything he just punched him square in the gut and shattered his armor and sent him flying towards Krieg. Krieg avoided the flying Pearl only to go on the offensive now.

"That was amazing; just one punch is all it took." One of the cooks said the steam still coming off of Luffy and his fists were still black.

"Mugiwara it is time I finished you off."

"I would like to see you try."

Krieg took off his shoulder pads and put them together forming his daisenso. Krieg began swinging the daisenso around. The areas he struck blew up.

"This should be fun." Luffy said

Krieg swung the bomb spear at Luffy only for him to catch it but let it go.

"I don't feel like playing with you, So I am going to end this as fast as possible"

The Merry Go was a safe distance away from the fighting by now. Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku managed to crudely stitch up Zoro's massive wound and bandage him up. Nami was just watching amazed at what Luffy could do.

'He can do it' She thought. 'He can beat Arlong' She wasn't exactly sure why she had stayed with them as long as she did. She had originally planned to steal this ship and head back to Cocoyashi. But she felt like she had to stay here and that everything would be ok as long as she was with these guys.

"Nami, how is the fight going?" Usopp asked pulling her back to reality

"Luffy used his Haki to knock out most of the Krieg pirates and only left a fifth of them standing. He just beat the guy with the giant shields on his chest and now he is fighting Krieg."

"What is Haki?" Yosaku asked

"It's hard to explain."

"That's a terrible answer."

"I know, but I really don't know how to explain it."

"Luffy only told us about it, what a week ago back in Syrup Village."

"Yeah, that's right."

"How is Zoro doing?"

"As remarkable as it sounds I think he is going to be ok."

At the same time Sanji and Gin were fighting. Sanji got a few good kicks in. But Gin using his tonfas also got a few good shots in. Both fell down but soon got back up.

Gin started swinging his tonfas around. He got them spinning fast and started racing toward Sanji. Sanji kicked at Gin only to miss. Gin tried to hit Sanji's leg but he just barely managed to move his leg out of the way. Sanji kicked at Gin only to miss and land on the deck. Gin brought down his tonfa trapping Sanji's neck stuck under the long cross bar. He sat down tapping the other tonfa on his left shoulder. Gin began spinning his tonfa getting it going fast. Sanji spit his lit cigarette up into Gin's face distracting him long enough to do a hand stand and get away. Gin smashed his tonfa into the fin. While Gin's tonfa was in the fin Sanji kicked him in the face and chest sending him to the edge of the fin. Gin did not get up for a little bit after that.

"Hey Luffy" Sanji yelled over to the boy in the straw hat.

"Take down Krieg."

"Of course" Luffy said followed by his trademark grin.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME?" Krieg yelled

"I don't think, I know." Luffy said confidently.

Krieg continued to swinging his daisenso around and got close to hitting Luffy.

"Oh that was actually kind of close."

Krieg swung it down blowing up the part of the broken ship they were on. One more time krieg picked it up and swung it down.

"Busoshoku koka " Luffy said coating his fists in Haki

Luffy grabbed the blade of the daisenso with one hand and in one fluid motion snapped the blade off the end of the weapon and punched Krieg with the other.

"How dare you do that."

"Yeah, yeah"

Krieg continued to swing the bomb on a stick around and instead of hurting Luffy he only ended up blowing up more parts of the broken ship as the two moved among all of the debris.

Luffy backed up a good distance to another section of ship to ready an attack.

"Are you afraid of me Mugiwara?"

"Nope, just getting ready to finish this"

"You insolent brat."

"Gear Second" Luffy said as he stretched his arm out behind him almost to Sanji standing on the fin watching.

"Busoshoku koka" Luffy's fist and forearm turned black

Luffy's fist began retracting and started glowing. Soon his arm was engulfed in a huge fire ball.

"Red Hawk" Luffy yelled

Krieg didn't have time to react as Luffy's fist was moving way to fast. Luffy's fist impacted Krieg's stomach shattering his armor both front and back plates, a huge fireball erupted from his back. Krieg's eyes rolled up in his head as he passed out unconscious. He fell down head first into the wood panels of the ship. He let go of his daisenso and dropped it into the ocean.

Luffy's fist turned back to normal and he turned back to face the cooks and then turned to his friends and crew on the Merry Go. Luffy was smiling and laughing. All of the Krieg pirates who were still awake were speechless. On the other hand all the cooks looked at each other and started yelling excitedly.

"The kid did it" Zeff said talking to no one in particular

"That was incredible" Sanji said

Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku were dancing around acting like idiots. Nami was just laughing at them.

'I made the right decision' Nami thought

Gin was standing up and looking around. He was shocked to see his leader lying unconscious on the ground.

"Don Krieg" Gin yelled

"It's over Gin" Sanji said

"None of your crew mates are willing to fight us anymore."

At this point there was nothing left Gin could do

"I'm sorry Sanji-san" Gin said "I truly am"

"Just stop, it's fine. Nothing was damaged too bad, you were doing this because you thought it was wanted us to surrender peacefully. And when that didn't work things got nasty." Sanji said taking a puff of his cigarette.

All of the sudden Don Krieg stood up like a zombie completely unconscious and knocked Luffy's hat off of his head. Even though Luffy could sense Krieg standing up to attack him he let his hat get knocked off. He just wanted to make a point. Also Krieg wouldn't feel the pain until later anyway.

"Nobody touches the hat." Luffy yelled releasing a wave Haoshoku Haki knocking out the rest of Krieg's crew minus Gin and punching Krieg with a black haki coated fist. He sent him flying into the second mast of their ship that was still sticking out of the water. On impact he left a huge crater in it and large spider web cracks in every direction. He fell down and landed face first onto more debris.

"Wow" was all the cooks could say.

"Hey kid" Gin said

"Yeah" Luffy said after he picked his hat up off the ground.

"One day we will meet again on the Grand Line."

"I look forward to it." Luffy said laughing

The cooks were just shocked by Luffy's response. Luffy's friends on the Merry could only laugh.

"One last thing and then we will leave you alone." Gin said "Can we have a boat to leave your ship?" Gin asked

"I don't see any other way." Sanji said

"Patty, Carne go get them the boat we use for grocery shopping." Sanji said

"Why should we?"

"Just do it" Sanji screamed

"Fine, no need to yell" They said running away.

A little while later the Krieg pirates were all finally awake. They were shocked to see that their leader was unconscious. "We are leaving" Gin said to his crewmates. They all ran to the small boat Patty and Carne had brought out. They were piling in while Gin was talking to Sanji.

"It's sinking" some of the pirates said.

"Thank you for all you have done for us."

"I'll be taking this. I don't have to return it, do I? Try if you dare, bastard."

Gin along with his crew and a still unconscious Krieg set sail.

"Remember now, this is the fighting sea restaurant Baratie!" Patty yelled as the small ship was heading out to sea

"What an annoying group" Gin said as the restaurant was getting smaller in the distance.

"So Sanji now that this is all done are you going to join me?"

"I can't, I still have something to do here."

"Alright if you say so" Luffy said knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"Some day I will go to the Grand Line. Hey, have you heard of the All Blue?"

"No I haven't, what is it?" Luffy said. He couldn't tell Sanji that he knew what is was. Sanji was just so excited to talk about it.

"It's a mystical sea where fish from all four blues gather. It's a wonderland for a cook like me."

'He looks so damn happy.' Zeff thought to himself looking down from the third floor balcony.

"I know it has to be somewhere on the Grand Line." Sanji said. Sanji continued to tell Luffy about all the tales and rumors of the All Blue. Finally the lunch bell rang and Patty yelled loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Sounds like it's time to eat." Luffy said stomach growling.

Sanji and Luffy made their way down to the first level to get some lunch. The two were shocked to see that there were no seats left for them at any table. Nami, Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku were sitting down eating lunch. Even Zoro managed to make his way off the ship and get some lunch.

"Why the hell didn't you guys save us a seat?" Luffy said annoyed

"Sorry Luffy-aniki. This table is only big enough for five people."

Luffy and Sanji walked over and sat on the floor and ate their lunch. It wasn't long before the cooks were complaining about how terrible the soup was. Patty threw his bowl on the ground because he was so disgusted. Sanji was furious that he cooks were badmouthing his food. Even Zeff was in on it. He complained that this soup would shut down the restaurant. Sanji stormed off and ran out the door.

"What's wrong with it?" Nami asked as Luffy went and got more eventually sticking the ladle in his mouth.

"There's nothing wrong with it." Zeff said

Unknown to everyone but Luffy, Sanji had made his way back to the door after blowing off some steam.

"If we didn't do this he'd never leave. Hey kid you mentioned that you needed a cook on you ship, right? I'm not forcing you or anything but why don't you take him with you to the Grand Line?"

"I'm not going to take him with me unless he agrees to it."

"That would be for the best." Zeff said "He will never admit that he wants to go."

Sanji walked in and began talking.

"All of us have crazy dreams. I'm gonna do this for my own dream of finding the All Blue."

"Sanji" Luffy said

"As you wanted, I'll go with you on your journey to become King of the Pirates. Allow me to take up the position of cook aboard your ship. You got a problem with that?"

"None" Luffy said laughing

"This is my decision everyone. I caused a lot of trouble for you, didn't I?"

"I wanted to throw you out of here myself, but things turn out to be this easy" Patty said

"Well I'm sorry but that is what you get for putting on such an appalling performance."

"You figured it out."

"Of course I did, you're all morons."

An hour later Yosaku, Johnny, Luffy, Nami, Usopp and Zoro were all on the Going Merry. They were waiting for Sanji. Finally after one more walk around the Baratie Sanji walked out the main door with a bag and a brief case. Patty and Carne tried to attack Sanji but got their asses kicked. Sanji made his way over to the Going Merry.

"No goodbyes?" Luffy asked

"Sanji, don't catch a cold out there." Zeff said

Sanji began crying thinking about all the things Zeff did for him when he was young. All of the things they went through together.

"Owner Zeff" Sanjii yelled as he was bowing to his teacher

"I owe you so much. I'll never forget all that you have done for me." Sanji said crying

Zeff got all teary eyed. So did all of the other cooks at the restaurant. Sanji sat up when he heard Patty and Carne start talking.

"I'm gonna miss you, dammit." Patty said crying

"Alright I'm gonna miss you to." Carne said

"I'm so sad" some of the cooks said.

As much as he annoyed them they cared for him even if they were too tough to say it.

"You idiots, Men are supposed to part without saying anything."

Sanji stood up, grabbed his bag, his brief case and climbed the ladder of the Going Merry.

"Let's go, Set sail" Luffy said.

"Til we meet again you freakin' bastards!" Sanji screamed through tears as they were sailing off.

'They will find the All Blue' Zeff said to himself as they were sailing away.

** Back to the future Straw Hats watching through the portal**

"So are we past asking what was different?" Brook asked

"I would think so" Zoro said

"I didn't get to see Luffy fight Krieg last time." Usopp said only to be completely ignored

"So the dartboard brow can be more than a pain in the ass."

"Quiet marimo."

"That was a real touching moment." Franky said wiping the tears away from his eyes.

Sanji kicked Franky knocking him over

"That was real cute Sanji-san"

"Thank you Robin-chawn." Sanji said going into full love cook mode.

"Usopp-san you said you didn't get to see Luffy-san fight Krieg last time. What happened?"

"I don't want to get hurt but what I think I can tell you is that…" Nami interrupted Usopp by hitting him on the head leaving a large bump, Usopp shut his mouth.

"What I will tell you is that, like yours my life was pretty difficult. Before I met Luffy I was a part of another crew who only used me to make maps for them. Just watch, you will find out the whole story soon enough. If you have anymore questions after that I will answer them and maybe I won't hurt you."

Chopper hid behind Zoro's leg like he often does when he is scared.

"I appreciate it Nami-san" Robin said

"Just one thing." Franky asked finally standing back up.

"Will the future be affected by some of the things that are happening there?"

"You know, now that I think about it Gin wasn't poisoned this time." Sanji said back to normal

"What?" some of the straw hats said.

"Yeah, last time Krieg used this poison gas to finish him off after he disobeyed an order because he couldn't kill me. I don't know what happened to Gin after that. He may very well have died last time. Who knows, maybe we will meet him some day on the Grand Line."

"You know you will never meet that Gin. What you are watching is an technically an alternate reality. Eventually this one may cease to exist."

"WHAT" They said through shark teeth

"Yeah, your memories and knowledge have been passed on to them so eventually we may just cease to be. Then again I am only guessing. I have no idea what will happen."

"I would hit you if I could." Nami said

"So not SUPER." Franky said striking his signature pose.


	12. Nami and Cocoyashi Village

Luffy and Sanji had beaten the Krieg Pirates. Zoro met his future teacher. Luffy had regained an old friend, a newish nakama and prevented Nami from sailing off alone with Merry. Finally the five Straw Hats, Johnny and Yosaku were sailing off to Cocoyashi village.

It was a nice day as they were sailing to their next destination. Nami was lounging on a beach chair when someone stood over her blocking her from getting any sun.

"Nami" Luffy said

"Yeah, what do you want?" Nami asked annoyed

"I need to talk to you... In private" Luffy said

"What about?" Nami asked

"I would just like to talk to you."

"Alright" Nami said kind of irritated at Luffy. Nami got up and followed Luffy.

Luffy and Nami walked into the kitchen to talk. But people were in there.

"Can I talk to Nami in private?"

"Yeah, sure" they all said except Sanji.

"Anything you say to Nami-san you can say to us."

Luffy looked to Nami's left shoulder and that got her curious.

"Please Sanji-kun"

"Anything for you Nami-swan" Sanji said in full on love cook mode

After everyone was gone there was an awkward silence between Luffy and Nami.

"Nami, you know you can tell me anything, there is nothing that will make me angry. I am only concerned for my friends."

Nami felt strangely comfortable around Luffy for a reason she couldn't understand. But she felt she should tell him what was bothering her. She did decide to stay with them instead of betraying them like she had originally planned. She could trust Luffy.

"Alright" Nami said hesitantly. She lifted up the left sleeve of her shirt to reveal a blue sawshark tattoo, more specifically Arlong's Jolly Roger. Luffy did his best to hide his rage. He knew what Arlong had made her do for him. Last time he wasn't interested but this time he would listen to her story if she was willing to tell it.

"I recognize that symbol." Luffy said. "It belongs to the…" Nami put her hand over Luffy's mouth before he could say anything else. Nami put up one finger to her lips asking for Luffy to be quiet.

He took the hint.

"Ok Nami, it belongs to them. So why do you have one?"

"I make maps for them." Nami said with a hint of sadness in her voice

"I take it you don't like being associated with them?"

Nami shook her head side to side

"So what's wrong? What can I do to help?"

"I don't want to make maps for them anymore. I would rather stay with you and make maps whenever I feel like it."

"Do they force you to make maps for them?" Luffy asked knowing very well what they made her do. Nami just shook her head up and down as she started to get upset.

"Ok Nami, no reason to get upset. I am here for you. You have seen what we can do; we will help you with your problem. What kind of captain would I be if I couldn't help my friends with their problems?"

"Thank you Luffy."

Luffy just smiled and started laughing."What do we tell them we were talking about?"

"We could just tell them we were kissing." Nami said with a devilish smile

Luffy turned red at the thought.

"Just kidding" Nami said sticking her tongue out at Luffy.

Luffy needed some air so he just left Nami standing there thinking.

"So captain, where are we going?" A relatively back to normal Zoro asked almost as if he didn't get sliced open just yesterday.

"Huh…" Luffy said getting pulled back to reality

"You alright Luffy-aniki?" Yosaku asked

"Fine" Luffy said still thinking about what Nami said. "We are going to Cocoyashi Village." Luffy said

"That's where the Arlong Pirates have their base of operations." Yosaku said

"I know, that's why we are going there." Without another word on the subject Luffy walked off and started yelling. "SANJI, MESHI!"

"Hai, hai" Sanji said walking towards the kitchen puffing on a cigarette.

A half an hour later Sanji walked out of the kitchen

"Lunch is ready" Sanji said

Everyone stopped what they were doing and went to eat lunch. During lunch they all got to talking about where they were going next.

"Did you know that the Fishman who rules over the island we are going to was once a crew member of the Sun pirates. The name of their captain is Jinbe and he is currently a member of the Shichibukai." Yosaku said.

Luffy just got a little happy thinking about his friend who he would have to save one day not too long from now.

"What's a Shichibukai?" Usopp asked

"A Shichibukai is a government sanctioned pirate. They are allowed to do pretty much anything they please as long as a percentage of the treasure they steal goes to the World Government. They occasionally have to follow orders handed down to them by the World Government. To other pirates, they're just government dogs." Yosaku said

"The man Zoro-aniki fought was a member." Johnny said

"All of the members of the Shichibukai must be pretty damn strong." Sanji said

"Yeah, they are and there are only ever seven at one time."

"The Shichibukai, the World Government and the…" Yosaku was cut off as something had just rammed the Merry

Luffy, Zoro &amp; Sanji ran outside to see what was happening. The other four just stayed inside. They all looked through port holes to see what was going on. That was when they saw it. It was a giant white and green sea cow.

'Mohmoo' Nami thought

'I remember you' Luffy thought

"What do you think it wants?" Zoro asked

"I bet it could smell the food." Luffy said

"IS THAT ALL YOU THINK ABOUT ?" Sanji yelled

"So what do we do about him?" Zoro asked

"I will take care of it" Luffy said as he used his Haoshoku Haki to intimidate the beast instead of beating it up this time.

"We can use him to get to Cocoyashi faster" Luffy said

Luffy and Sanji climbed on Mohmoo and tied ropes around his horns and ropes around the figurehead.

"Yosh, take us to Cocoyashi Village" Luffy said

Mohmoo did as he was told and they went back to talking. A few hours later they made it to Cocoyashi. Nami made sure that when they were approaching the island they stayed away from Arlong Park. They sailed to a point in the middle of Arlong Park and Nami's childhood house. They dropped the anchor and got off the boat and got ready to go in whichever direction they pleased. They cut Mohmoo free and sent him on his way. Nami was the last to get off the ship. She had changed into a tank top that displayed her tattoo and dark blue tights.

"Nami, I want to hear your story" Luffy said.

With everyone on the ground the group began whispering to each other about Nami's tattoo.

"Before anyone says anything to Nami about the tattoo, it is the reason we are here. We are here to take down Arlong and free this island and more specifically Nami's hometown."

"Luffy we are pirates; pirates don't do this kind of thing." Zoro said

"I know that but as far as I am concerned Nami is one of us and I would do anything for my friends. That's all the reason I need to kick Arlong's ass. I am going with her to hear how Arlong came to rule over this island. Anyone who wants to hear is free to tag along."

Nami began walking away discreetly trying to wipe a tear away from her eye. Luffy was not too far behind. The rest of the group looked at each other and only Zoro, Sanji and Usopp followed Luffy and Nami.

"This is where we part ways Zoro-aniki."

"It's been fun." Zoro said

Johnny and Yosaku walked off in the opposite direction of the Straw Hats. Not too long after they parted ways the bounty hunters changed their minds and decided they wanted to hear the whole story so they did their best to tail the five who were headed towards Nami's house. They didn't know the extent of Luffy's powers and they didn't know he knew they were following them the whole time.

After a long walk they arrived at Nami and her sister's house.

"Hold on one second." Nami said

She walked in the front door and to her surpise Nojiko was scolding a boy for attempting to go after Arlong.

"It's the witch" the boy said

"Nami, I didn't expect you back so soon." Nojiko said

"Yeah, I brought some friends to deal with our Fishman problem." Nami said laughing

"I haven't seen you laugh in a long time Nami. I also haven't heard you use that word in a long time either. Wait…hold on a second, did I hear that right? You think you found someone who can beat Arlong and his crew?"

"I know they can" Nami said

"I brought them here my captain wants to hear our story. I hope it's okay." Nami said with a wicked smile. Nojiko agreed and Nami went to the door.

"Guys you can come in."

Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp walked into the house.

"Guys this is my older sister Nojiko."

"Your older sister?" Sanji said going into his Casanova routine again

"Don't start Sanji-kun" Nami said hitting Sanji on the head

"So who is the captain?" Nojiko asked

"That would be me Captain Usopp!"

"Be serious idiot." Sanji said kicking Usopp in the back of the head

"I am the captain." Luffy said

Nami introduced the rest of the crew to her sister

"Nice to meet you all" Nojiko said

"Would you tell them our story?"

"Fine" Nojiko said

Nojiko, Nami, Sanji and Usopp sat at the table. Luffy sat on the counter behind Sanji and Usopp. Zoro sat on the floor against a wall, resting his sword on his shoulder like always.

"Nami and I were found by our mother Belle-mere on an island that had been ravaged by war. She quit the marines and braved a storm to get us here. She raised us until I was 12 and Nami was 10. One day Arlong and his crew showed up in town and told the villagers that they were taking over. He demanded we pay him. He demanded 100,000 beri for an adult and 50,000 for a child. We have to pay him every month. If someone can't pay that months tribute they are killed. Our mother only had 100,000 beri saved up. She sacrificed herself so that we could live. One of Arlong's crew members saw a map and Nami told them it was hers. They took her and she was forced to join their crew and draw maps for them. Later that day she came back to town with a stack of cash and that tattoo on her. That was eight years ago."

After hearing that story they were all upset. Johnny and Yosaku were outside listening the whole time. Sanji was taking out a new cigarette. Usopp was shocked. Zoro was indifferent but they figured that was his own way of dealing with things. Luffy on the other hand was furious.

"THAT BASTARD" Luffy yelled

"He is not going to know what hit him when I am done with him. I am going to get some air" Luffy said having calmed down a little.

"Luffy whatever you do save some for us." Zoro said

"Don't worry, I am just going outside. I'm not going to fight them yet."

Luffy didn't make it far outside before he saw the old man with the pinwheel and a Marine walking toward Nami's house through the field of tangerines.

"Nami, come out here." Luffy said

Nami and the others ran outside and they were greeted by a marine along with his troops.

"I am Captain Nezumi." The man with whiskers said

"You must be the cat burglar Nami if I'm not mistaken. I am here on orders of the government to collect money that you confiscated from pirates. Legally it belongs to the government so we are really only here to collect what is ours. Men, begin searching Tear this place up if you have to. We are looking for 100 million beri it will be hard to miss."

"How do you know how much you are looking for?" Genzo screamed at the Marine. That is for the village"

"Gen-san how did you know that?" Nami asked shocked

"I questioned Nojiko and she told me everything. We have known about it since you came back with that tattoo. We didn't tell you that we knew so that in case you wanted to run our hopes wouldn't get in the way."

Nami stood there for a little while. She was shocked to find out that everyone had known what she was up to for years. The fact that they lived under Arlong's rule for so long and without saying a word meant a lot, it meant that they had faith that Nami could do it.

"Arlong sent you here didn't he?" Nami asked the Marine as she feared that Arlong had planned all of this.

"Who knows?"

"Captain we found it." One of the Marines screamed

Nezumi walked over and opened up the large box full of cash and gold. He began looking at all of the money that Nami had stolen over the years. A lot of it was covered in blood but money was money.

"Don't you dare touch my treasure." Nami screamed as she took out her bow staff and headed for Nezumi.

Nezumi put down the money and took out a pistol. He fired the pistol at Nami but Nojiko got in the way and almost got shot in the shoulder.

Seconds earlier Luffy vanished and reappeared right in front of Nojiko with a bullet in the palm of his hand.

"What happened?" Nezumi looked puzzled to say the least. "Why aren't you on the ground in pain?"

"Looking for this?" Luffy asked

Nojiko turned around to see Luffy right in front of her

'He's fast, I didn't see him move and now he's right in front of me.' Nojiko thought.

"How did you do that?" Nezumi asked

"Doesn't matter, all that matters is that you tried to hurt Nami." Luffy said irritated

Sanji walked up behind him and put his hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Can I take care of them?"

"Nami?" Luffy asked.

Nami just waved them off.

"Looks like a yes to me. But leave the captain for Nami. I'm sure she's got some stress built up and needs a punching bag."

Sanji just nodded and walked away taking a puff of his cigarette. He beat the marine soldiers in no time flat.

"How dare you do that to Marines!"

"I don't care" Sanji said

Nami had seen enough. She walked over to Captain Nezumi and beat the piss out of him. Nezumi was just barely able to stand up, he couldn't get a word in before Luffy spoke up.

"The name is Monkey D. Luffy by the way. Gomu Gomu no… Pistol"

Luffy punched Nezumi so hard he went flying backwards. The others just saw him disappear and he didn't come back.

"Retreat." The marines said as they ran away with their tails between their legs.

"That was impressive kid." Genzo said

By now Nami was feeling better and her head was clear.

"You think that was impressive just wait" Nami said cracking a smile

"We've got to go" Luffy said

"Wait what?" Nami said

"I didn't mean it like that. I was just going to say that the villagers are headed for Arlong Park and we have to stop them before they get themselves killed."

"How could you possibly know that?" Nojiko asked

"If he says it it's most likely true, he's got a sixth sense for stuff like this." Zoro said poking at Luffy with the hilt of his sword.

Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp began to walk off but before they got too far Luffy went back and put his straw hat on Nami's head. He just cracked a smile and ran to catch up to the trio ahead of him.

"He cares about you." Nojiko said

Nami blushed a little and just hit Nojiko in the shoulder

"The villagers are going to get there before them, hopefully they don't do anything to foolish." Nami said

"We have to get there to talk them down." Nojiko said

"Let's go" Genzo said as the three began heading for Arlong Park.

In front of Arlong Park Johnny and Yosaku were sitting in front of the gate.

"Are you guys okay?" a villager asked

"Were you beaten by Arlong?" another villager asked

"Let us through" one of the villagers said

"You won't stand a chance against Arlong." Johnny said

"We are waiting for those guys to show up."

"Those guys?" another villager said 

"Yeah if they can't beat Arlong then the entire East Blue is in trouble." Johnny said

Almost like clockwork Johnny and Yosaku saw the Straw Hats in the distance.

"They're here" they said standing up in front of the crowd of people. "Out of the way." Luffy said and the crowd of people began parting until finally the four male straw hats were in front of the gate to Arlong Park.

"Gear Third" Luffy said then he bit down on this thumb and only inflated his arm to four or five times its regular size. He obliterated the doors and walked inside not shrinking down to his chibi form. Everyone behind him was just standing there with there with their mouths wide open not knowing what the hell they had just seen.

"Alright, that is a new one." Zoro said rubbing the back of his head.

"I assume that you are Arlong?"

"That's me, who the hell are you?"

"My name is Luffy and I am here to kick your ass."

"Really, you are going to kick my ass?"

Luffy began walking towards Arlong but two of his nakama were standing in the way as body guards to try and stop Luffy from getting to their boss. Luffy effortlessly knocked out the guards. He kept walking up to Arlong and he punched him and he went flying into the wall creating a large hole. Everyone was shocked to see someone was able to send Arlong flying so easily.

"Incredible" One of the villagers said. "That isn't something a normal human should be able to do but I guess he isn't normal."

"Idiot" Sanji said. "Don't hog all the fun for yourself."

"Sorry, I will try to leave a few for you guys."

"U…Uh… I don't really mind if you hog them all." Usopp said walking in terrified

Nami, Nojiko and Gen walked up to Arlong Park to see Arlong go flying into a wall.

"I was right" Nami said. "I'm glad I came here with them."

"Nami" some of the villagers said. They were surprised to see her back so soon, but they were more surprised she brought help.

"What you brought those guys here?" other villagers said

"Sort of" Nami said cracking a smile. "These guys will take care of our Fishman problem."

"I was skeptical but seeing the boy in the red vest send Arlong flying like that…" Genzo said.

"Just wait, what you have seen is just the beginning."

"So you have seen his arm grow to five times its normal size?" Dr. Nako asked

"What are you talking about?"

"He put his thumb in his mouth and all of the sudden his arm was huge and there was this hole in the wall." Dr. Nako said

"I've never seen him do that."

"Arlong-san doesn't need to waste his time on you. He will be more than enough to deal with the likes of you." Hachi said as he was walking towards the male straw hats. He used his mouth as a trumpet and began calling for something.

"He's coming" Nojiko said scared

"Don't worry Nojiko." Nami said putting a hand on her shoulder to reassure her.

Nothing happened for a little while but soon a huge white and green sea cow rose out of the ocean about twenty feet from Hachi.

"This guy again." Sanji said smoking on his cigarette

Mohmoo came out of the water and started looking around. He saw the boy who had frightened him so terribly. He had turned away to swim off but was interrupted.

"Mohmoo" Arlong said irritated. "Where do you think you are going?"

Mohmoo was more scared of Arlong than he was of Luffy. He went to attack the straw hats but Luffy wasn't going to let that happen. Luffy held out his hand high up in front of him staring straight at Mohmoo he unleashed his Haoshoku Haki and knocked Mohmoo out cold this time as opposed to just intimidating him.

'Maybe we can get him to take us to Fishman Island whenever we go next time. However that would mean that we would have to find him first and that could be a pain. Oh well.'

"I didn't see him even touch him" One villager said

"What did he do this time?" Another villager asked

"What the hell did you do to Mohmoo." Arlong asked confused.

"What does it matter, soon you are going to be unconscious just like him." Luffy said

"How dare you, you inferior human." Arlong was angry now

"Bring it on" Luffy said holding his hand up motioning for Arlong to make the first move.

"Sanji, Zoro, Usopp"

"You guys want me to handle the small fry or do want to have some fun?"

"We got them." Zoro and Sanji said in unison which irritated them.

"You can take care of them." Usopp said with his knees shaking wildly.

"Chicken" Zoro said

"You can handle yourself." Sanji said trying to bolster Usopp's confidence a little.

"Tako you are mine" Zoro said to Hachi

Sanji walked over to Kuroobi getting ready to fight.

"I guess I will fight you." Sanji said to the Ray Fishman

"You think you will be able to beat me you inferior human. I'm a 40th Level master of Fishman Karate."

"Oh, sounds impressive." Sanji said sarcastically

"Guess that leaves me with the trembling shrimp." Chew said. "Huh where did he go?"

"I'm over here." Usopp said to Chew. He was outside of Arlong Park. "Catch me if you can." Usopp said and he took off running

"What the hell?" Chew said kind of annoyed that he would have to catch him before he could beat him up. Chew ran after Usopp through the hole in the wall where the door used to be.

"You know I am going to make this easier for you guys." Luffy said "There is no reason for you to waste your energy fighting these guys."

"You think you are superior to us?" Arlong said

"I don't think that. I think it would be awesome to be able to breath underwater. But I do know I am a lot stronger than you." Without another word Luffy knocked out all of the remaining Arlong Pirates aside from the top four fighters.

"You knocked them all out." Arlong said. "You are going to pay for that."

While this was going on Sanji and Zoro's fights had gotten underway. They weren't going to say it but they were glad and annoyed that at the same time all the small fry were taken out so effortlessly. They were fighting the top brass in the Arlong Pirates so Luffy was right they would need their energy especially with Zoro being hurt. They both decided that they were going to beat him up for not letting them have a little more fun.

Zoro began to attack a weaponless Hachi.

"Tako Hachi Black" ink came out of Hachi's mouth and Zoro avoided getting sprayed. Zoro countered but Hachi ducked and got some of his hair chopped off.

"You bastard! I'm gonna forgive you, it's only hair. It'll grow back."

Sanji's fight with Kuroobi had started. Sanji noticed how Zoro was having a difficult time just catching his breath.

"Getting distracted will get you killed." Kuroobi said to the cook

"The fish fighting against the cook this should be fun."

Zoro went to attack Hachi but he jumped up and used his suction cups to hold on to a pillar while upside down.

"Get your ass down here!" Zoro said getting annoyed.

Neither Sanji's kicks nor Kuroobi's punches were too effective as neither could make direct contact.

"You freakin' fish bastard!"

"You use three swords to fight so why are you only using one?"

"One is enough. You're still gonna lose! I haven't gotten serious yet." 'My fever must have gone up. I'm having trouble standing up straight.' Zoro thought to himself.

"Shit I knew it. You haven't recovered from the wound Hawkeye gave you."

"What is he talking about?" Dr. Nako asked

"Yesterday he fought a Shichibukai and lost badly. He has a very large wound across his entire chest." Yosaku said

"He's got a what?" the doctor asked.

Johnny told the doctor about the location of the wound. The doctor went visibly pale for a few seconds along with anyone close enough to hear the description.

"Just based on your description a wound of that size would leave someone bedridden for months or more likely dead. It's a miracle he's conscious let alone standing at all."

"Pretending to be sick is a very good strategy. But I'm not going to fall for it." Hachi said. "I'm going to show you my roktoryu." Hachi said as he disappeared into Arlong Park and a few moments later emerged with six swords. Hachi walked out on to the roof and Zoro fell over.

"Hey, don't fall over its insulting"

"It was only a matter of time." Nako said. "To be perfectly honest I am surprised he was able to stay standing that long."

"How could he fight with such a straight face?" Sanji asked himself. "Stupid bastard…"

Kuroobi took advantage of Sanji looking away and punched him right in the stomach sending him through the wall surrounding Arlong Park.

"Didn't I tell you to pay attention? I told you I am a 40th level master of fishman karate." Sanji just stayed their lying down on the ground for a little while.

"Looks like you are all alone now Straw Hat."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Roktoryu, huh?" Zoro said as he was getting up

"I don't know how he can still get up." Nako said. "I have never seen someone so determined to fight off passing out from such a serious injury."

"How are you feeling Zoro?"

"Never better captain"

"Let me make one thing clear, Tako. There is someone that I must meet again. And until that day… Not even Death himself can take my life away."

Meanwhile Usopp was still running and Chew was still chasing after him.

"He's really fast. His speed and stamina are incredible." Chew said

As Usopp was running he thought about how he had made promises to Kaya and the former Usopp Pirates. He decided that he would try his hardest to be a brave warrior of the sea. He had run far enough and ran and hid behind a tree in the woods. Chew had made up enough ground on Usopp to see him duck into the woods opposite the rice fields.

'That little pep talk from Sanji was surprisingly effective.' Usopp thought as something appeared in front of him.

It was a bag with a black slingshot, projectiles of varying colors, &amp; a color coded guide with short descriptions of what each little pellet did.

'This feels oddly familiar' Usopp thought. Usopp flipped through the booklet really quick and did his best to try and memorize the colors of the pellets and the names of the attacks.

'You know, this looks kinda like my handwriting.' He thought. Usopp turned the bag inside out and a little note fell out. Usopp picked up it up and read it to himself.

_From a friend,_

_This care package will help you on your journey as you travel the Grand Line and in your travels beyond that. It is filled with plants from an "island" chain in the Grand Line. They are not like your normal stars. They are a lot more powerful and the first time you use one you will be surprised. I have provided you with a half dozen of each kind I use. This will be a good start, make sure not to run out. _

_In the guide I included a list of the ingredients you will need to make an insecticide. As well as everything you will need to know on how to grow these. Build yourself a garden so that you can plant these and grow more. You will need a constant supply of these. _

_Finally take care of Merry for me. Don't let anything get in the way of you and your friends. Not even Merry is worth losing your friends over. Also don't let the gap in strength between you and the monster trio be a deterrent or make you think you are not needed. Use your smarts to out think your opponents. You may never fight the big bad. Don't worry about that. Find what you can do and work to be the best at that._

_WARNINGS :_

_Do not use all of these Pop Greens. _

_Only use one at a time. You will see why. _

_Don't go crazy and fire a lot of them no matter how crazy the situation gets._

_Don't let your supply run out. You won't just come across these like you would normal iron pellets._

_You will be a brave man of the sea one day._

Usopp had to wipe a tear away from his eye after reading the note. It felt like the person who sent this was trying to teach him a lesson about something that shouldn't be repeated.

'Well I am not going to use too many of these until I am familiar with them. This is a really stressful time for something like this to fall into my lap.'

"I found you." Chew said as he went to suck up all of the water in one of the many fields.

"Oh shit." Usopp said as water bullets began destroying the tree he was hiding behind as well as many of the surrounding trees. "It stopped" Usopp said as he got up after the water stopped flying past him. Usopp pulled back the bands on his mysterious black slingshot and fired a Pop Green.

"Midori Boshi Rafflesia"

It landed near Chew and a giant flower emerged

"What the hell is that?" Chew said before the stench took effect. "That stinks" Chew said holding his nose

"Here catch this" Usopp said as he threw a bottle at Chew.

"Sake? Why would you throw sake?"

"Hissatsu Namari Boshi" Usopp said as he fired a pellet and hit the bottle

The bottle shattered and the sake landed all over Chew

"Hissatsu Kaen Boshi" and the sake ignited

Chew took off running for the water to put out the fire. But Usopp caught up to him. "Usopp Hammer" he said as he hit Chew and he was sent into the water. He continued to hit Chew on the head with the hammer until he was sure he was unconscious.

"Wow, that went really well." Usopp said as he started to walk back to Arlong Park. "I have a feeling I should hide this stuff for a little while."

Back at Arlong Park Sanji was lighting a cigarette and took a puff before he got back up.

"He's alive" One of the villagers said

"That fish bastard's punch is level forty? Then the kicks I always took from that old man must've been level four hundred."

"Why do you keep pushing yourself?" Hachi asked. "You won't be able to defeat my roktoryu."

'I have to finish this fast.' Zoro thought as he was tying his bandana around his head.

"Johnny, Yosaku I need to borrow your swords."

"No problem Zoro-aniki." They said as they tossed Zoro their swords

"Now you'll see the barrier that you humans will never surpass. Roktoryu" Hachi said as he was preparing to attack. Zoro caught the swords in between his blades as Hachi was beginning his attack. "Tako Ashi Kiken!" Hachi began swinging his swords around trying to hurt Zoro. But Zoro was able to avoid every blade and counter attack.

"Santoryu…Tourou Nagashi!" Zoro said as he was out of range of Hachi's attacks for the moment. Zoro had managed to cut a large X into Hachi's chest

"Think about it logically, would you? You can't match six swords when you can only carry three yourself."

"Numbers don't matter! I may only have three swords, but yours will never be as heavy as mine!"

"If its weight we're taking about my swords weigh 300 kg each."

"It's useless talking to an idiot."

"Roktoryu, Tako Tsubo no Kamae!" Hachi said as he put the ends of the six blades together. "Shin shun!" He said as he ran forward towards Zoro.

Zoro managed to stop the attack but Hachi used the six swords to force Zoro's two swords apart leaving him wide open. Hachi ran head first into Zoro and knocked him backwards. He went back and barely managed to stay standing.

"That probably opened up his wound again." Nako said

'A wound that'd make an ordinary man fall unconscious… I won't lose to it.'

"Roktoryu, Tako Tsubo no Kamae!"

'A wound that'd make an ordinary man fall unconscious… I won't lose to it.'

"Shin Shun" Hachi tried his attack again

'To face one who is as extraordinary as Hawk Eye, I can't allow myself to be ordinary!' Zoro got ready for another attack. He positioned the sword in his right hand blade facing out and the sword in his left hand blade facing in towards himself. Zoro began spinning and broke all of Hachi's swords.

"Tatsumaki" Zoro sent Hachi flying up into the air. Now do you understand how much heavier my swords are?" Zoro walked over to the wall and sat down. He wasn't going to be of any more help today.

"Nice work Zoro." Luffy said

Kuroobi went to attack Zoro but was stopped by Sanji. "You thought you could get rid of me that easily?"

"I didn't think there was anyone in the East Blue who could stand up to my punch."

"Oh, I am sure you would find a few, especially in a certain restaurant."

"You really think so?"

"Well I will show you a stronger version of the move that blew you out of the park." 

"It's called the Senmaigawara Seiken. Your chance of survival is ZERO!" While Kuroobi was distracted Sanji took advantage of that.

"Collier" Sanji said and kicked Kuroobi in the face. The force of the kick broke the concrete surrounding Kuroobi."Epaule" in the shoulder while trying to get up. "Cotelette" kicked in the ribs. "Selle" Sanji kicked him in the lower back. "Poitirine" kicked in the chest. "Gigot" kicked in the legs.

"Why you bastard!" Kuroobi said as he was trying to get up after that barrage.

"Mutton Shot" Sanji said kicking Kuroobi into Arlong Park and through to the back wall of Arlong Park.

"How dare you hurt my brethren" Arlong said getting really pissed off.

"Now that they have had their fun it looks like it's just you and me now." Luffy said

"Why you."

"Luffy finish this" Usopp said sitting on top of the wall

"Usopp, how did it go?" Usopp held up a peace sign. "I guess I do need to end this if my crew has already won their fights."

Arlong secreted water from his skin

"Move out of the way" Luffy yelled to the crowd of people behind him. They did as they were told and either watched through the hole made by Sanjji or climbed up on the wall to join Usopp.

"Yabusame" Arlong said and began throwing lots of drops of water at Luffy.

"Is that the best you can do?" Luffy said as he easily dodged every single droplet.

"How are you doing that? How can you avoid all of them?"

"Haki" Luffy stated simply

"Haki?"

"Yeah, let me show you. Busoshoku koka" Luffy said as his right hand and forearm turned black. "Gomu Gomu no… Pistol." It hit Arlong right in the stomach.

"That hurt you bastard" Arlong said

"Really, well how about this? Gear Second" Luffy said as steam started flowing off of his right arm.

"Gomu Gomu no… Jet Pistol."

Arlong was sent flying backwards and crashed through the wall. Soon enough Arlong got up and walked out clutching his stomach in pain.

"You ate a devil fruit didn't you?"

"Yup, I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi." Luffy said stretching his cheek unnaturally far. "Go get whatever you want to fight me with, I'll wait"

"You are going to regret that" 

"No, No, I won't"

Arlong went over to a wall and put his arm through it grabbing his weapon of choice.

"Kiribachi" Nami said

Arlong began attacking Luffy. Luffy once again dodged every attack Arlong sent his way. Luffy was making his way up Arlong Park level by level with every attack he dodged. That was until he made it to the top level of Arlong Park and made his way into the room where Nami spent her time making maps for them.

"Top floor…left window" Nami said to herself. "That is the cartography room!"

"You have nowhere left to go. This is the top floor of Arlong Park"

"What is this room?" Luffy asked playing dumb. "It's full of paper."

"Not just any ordinary paper! This is the room for that girl to draw her maps."

'This room has to go' Luffy thought to himself

"All of them are sea maps the Nami drew for me. It's impressive isn't it? Eight years of work. It's my treasure. We know the oceans like the back of our hands but we can't draw the charts. That girl is a genius. She is too good for the likes of you humans."

"Nami is our nakama. You force her to make all of these maps and you call her a nakama. Nami deserves a lot better than you. Nami is our Navigator. And just so you know this whole damn building is going to come down and their isn't a thing you can do to stop it."

"What did you say?" 

"I said I am going to destroy this room, all of the charts inside and then I am going to destroy your precious Arlong Park."

"You think you will defeat me and destroy this room? That's hilarious."

"No it's true."

"One last thing before this building goes is that it is a nice stand in for Sabaody Park."

"What did you say?"

"Oh nothing"

Arlong snapped and began swinging the Kiribachi around trying to kill Luffy. The only damage he ended up doing was to multiple stacks of sea charts in the room.

"You bastard" 

"What, I am not the one slicing up Nami's charts."

Luffy kicked the desk through the wall. As people were trying to figure out what was falling out of the sky, Nami was looking up just watching the desk fall.

"Luffy?"

"Why you! What the hell are you doing?"

"I already told you, I'm destroying this room."

Next came a bookcase followed by a stacks of sea charts

"It took eight years to make all of these."

"Thank you." Nami said crying as she was watching all of the charts fall to the ground.

"Gear Second" Luffy said as steam began flowing off of his arms. "Gomu Gomu no Jet Gattling." Luffy said as he began to punch Arlong. At first Arlong tried to stop the barrage of punches but it was to no avail. They were too fast. Soon Arlong fell over unconscious.

"It's time this whole building comes down." Luffy said to himself. Luffy jumped up through the ceiling and in doing so he knocked the flag pole off the roof. Soon he was high above Arlong park. "Gear Third" Luffy said as he bit down and began blowing air into his arm soon his right fist was about half the size of top level of the park. "Busoshoku koka" Luffy said as his giant right fist and forearm turned black. "Gomu Gomu no Elephant Gun" Luffy said as he punched the roof of Arlong Park. This caused the top floor to collapse, followed by all of the other floors below.

All of the villagers ran for cover as the debris started falling to the ground.

"Arlong Park was demolished" Dr. Nako said

Everyone was watching as Luffy's arm shrunk and he landed on the rubble.

"Luffy!" Nami said excited.

"NAMI! YOU'RE MY NAKAMA!"

Nami just nodded her head and started crying a little.

"He won! I can't believe this day has finally come!"

Luffy made his way off of the rubble and over to all the people. Everyone started celebrating and tossing Luffy up in the air. That was until they missed him and he fell on the ground. Nami walked up behind Luffy and put his hat back on his head and started laughing.

"That's enough, scumbags!" Captain Nezumi said. "Well, this must be my lucky day! Good work."

"I thought Nami already beat the crap out of you once." Nojiko said

"I enjoyed the show, but I never would have thought that these fishmen would be defeated by the likes of you silly pirates. But thanks to you, Arlong's bounty, as well as all of Arlong Parks's riches will be mine. Everyone, put down your weapons! Because I Captain Nezumi will…" He was cut off

"Zoro!" Usopp said surprised that he was up and about.

"Don't spoil the mood when people are trying to celebrate."

Sanji, Zoro and Luffy proceeded to beat up all of the Marines.

"If you dare hit me just one more time, I won't let you live."

"He's still talking?" Sanji asked

Nami walked up to Nezumi. "This is for trying to hurt Nojiko and poking your nose where it doesn't belong." She hit him as hard as she could with her bow staff and sent him head first into the water.

"Thanks Nami, that makes me feel better."

"And there's a thousand more where that came from, jerk!" Genzo yelled. Nezumi pulled himself up out of the water only for Nami to be there waiting. She grabbed his whiskers and started making demands.

"Now. You guys will take care of cleaning up after the fishmen and help reconstruct Gosa village. And you will not touch any of the fishmen's treasure. They belong to the people of this island. Understand?"

"Ow, ow! I'll do as you say." Soon after the Marines began swimming away.

"This won't be forgotten, you lousy pirates! Straw Hat! Your name's Luffy! You're the captain! Don't forget this! You're gonna be big, after messing with me! I'll make you sorry"

"He said we're gonna be big." Sanji said

"How does he know I am going to be King of the Pirates"

"He wasn't talking about that, you numbskull." Zoro said

"If we become notorious, what'll happen to us? What'll we do?"

"Now everyone we can't just celebrate this by ourselves!" Tell the news to the whole island!" The Dr. said

"Arlong Park has fallen!" the villagers yelled as they began running to spread the word.

The five Straw Hats were more or less left alone to just laugh

"Who would've thought that we'd be saved by pirates?" Genzo said. What's the world coming to? At long last, Belle-mere can rest in peace."

Later the same day the party began and not long after Luffy began eating. After Arlong Park fell Zoro was taken to Dr. Nako's clinic to get his wound cleaned and stitched properly.

"He's been working on that wound for a while now." Sanji said

"That really doesn't sound like fun." Usopp said

"Yeah, well he was in pretty rough shape." Sanji said. "Anyone else would need at least a year to heal after an injury like that."

Inside the doctor's office.

"Idiot! You tried to handle an injury this serious by yourself?"

"It hurts"

"Of course it's going to hurt, you're lucky no ribs or organs were damaged. Are you guys really pirates? Do you guys even have a doctor for your ship?"

"We don't have one now but that's a good idea." Luffy said while he was hanging in the window.

"Hey doctor what is up on the cliff overlooking the ocean?"

"It's a grave." The doctor said not knowing that Luffy knew the whole story of this island.

Nami was up on the cliff sitting in front of Belle-mere's grave.

"What's with you Nami?" What are you still doing here?" 

"He's looking for you, your boyfriend."

"What are you taking about Nojiko?"

"The captain, what was his name? Oh yeah, it's Luffy right?" 

"What makes you think he's my boyfriend?"

"Why else would he do something so crazy? He obviously cares about you. And you don't want to admit it but you kind of like him as well." 

By now Genzo was picking himself up off the ground. He had basically passed out when Nojiko said boyfriend.

"Nami what's this about a boyfriend?" Genzo asked

"Nothing"

"He's not, he's just a friend." Nami said kind of blushing

"If that's what you want to believe."

"Nojiko, Gen-san" 

"If Belle-mere-san was still alive do you think she would stop me from becoming a pirate?"

"A pirate? Are you kidding? There is no way she'd ever let her little girl become a pirate!"

"She wouldn't stop you."

"NOJIKO"

"And if she did say no, would you listen?"

"No way!"

"You two are definitely, Belle-mere's daughters."

"Nami, you've made up your mind already? So just do what you fell is right. Just like your mother did. She wouldn't have expected any less" Genzo said walking away.

"Nami, whether he is your boyfriend or not. Just make sure you thank him." Nojiko said turning back to walk to the party

Later that night Nami was walking around looking for Luffy. She was thinking about what Nojiko said, about Luffy being her boyfriend. She didn't believe he was but he was special to her. He was the one who set the village free after eight long years.

"Zoro" Nami said. "Have you seen Luffy anywhere?"

"Nope, I lost track of that idiot after he left to go look around the island while I was getting stitched up. He mentioned something about a cliff looking out on to the ocean."

"Oh did he now?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh, no reason. Now that I think about it should you even be out of bed?"

"I'll be fine. Nothing some food and sake won't fix."

"That's not how that works." Nami said walking off in a huff.

Zoro got up and went to go find more sake.

Luffy was sitting in front of Belle-mere's grave when Genzo walked up behind him

"What are you doing here?"

"I was paying my respects and looking out on to the East Blue."

"Do you even know who that is for?"

"Nami's mother"

"How did you…"

"Nojiko told us what happened."

"Well, ok." Genzo said confused. Before today they didn't know these pirates and they had no reason to tell them of their painful past. "Listen, kid. Nami's going to sail with you and become a pirate. It's a dangerous journey and I know that it can't be helped. But if you ever take Nami's smile away I will find you and I will kill you."

"I don't want Nami to stop smiling either."

"JUST PROMISE ME!" Genzo yelled. Genzo poured some sake over the grave, said a few words before he walked away. After Genzo left Luffy stayed sitting alone at Belle-mere's grave.

"I don't know you but I wish you could see how this place has changed in just a few short hours. I have had a lot on my mind recently and I can't exactly talk to my crew about it so I figured this would be ok."

"To tell you the truth I have done this all once before. I became King of the Pirates and for selfish reasons I came back to the past. I often think about what I did and what I left behind to come back here. I beat Arlong once and set this village island free. Nami joined my crew after we beat Arlong and his crew the first time.

"We went on a lot of adventures and had lots of fun. But when we made it to the end of the Grand Line we were forced apart for two years. We all learned a lot and got stronger during that time. I hope we won't have to be separated again. But during that time I met a lot of people that would become allies during our travels in the New World. Hancock, Jinbe, Iva, Law &amp; Rayleigh just to name a few. I am sure I missed a bunch but those were the people who helped me the most. It would be a shame to not get to know them this time around."

"When we finally got back together Nami used what she learned during our time apart to take us to the end of the New World. It was all to complete my goal of becoming Pirate King, but I was so focused on that. Sure, I was a fine captain but this time I am going to be a little less crazy and take the time to learn about my crew and help them become stronger."

"Even before we made it to the New World we helped a Kingdom at the bottom of the sea and gained a new ally with the help of a friend I met during our time apart. When we did make it to the New World we ran into Law on Punk Hazard. We helped some kids who were being experimented on by a Caesar clown. We went on to Dressrosa to return a king back to his thrown after he was forced out of power."

"It really does sound crazy doesn't it I am glad I could tell someone about it?"

Luffy was going to keep talking but sensed someone coming so he halted talking about the future.

"Hey Nami what's up?" Luffy stood up and walked towards Nami.

"Not much, hey I am the one asking the questions." Nami said

"Oh, sorry. I was just here paying my respects."

"That means a lot Luffy."

"I remembered the story Nojiko told us so I just started walking around the island. Eventually I found myself here."

"You know Luffy I never did get to thank you for all that you have done for us and for me."

"You don't have to thank me."

"I don't?" Nami said confused

"Nope"

"Well I still want to." Nami said walking over to Luffy. Nami stopped right in front of Luffy, grabbed his vest and pulled him in real close and kissed him on the lips. After a few nice long kiss they broke apart, both of them were bright red.

"What was that for?" Luffy asked

"Like I said it was a thank you."

"Are you going to do that to Zoro, San.." Nami stopped him mid thought and left a nice large bump on his head.

'Can't teach her Busoshoku Haki' Luffy thought

"NO" she yelled. "That was a special thank you just for you." She said as she walked off but stopped and turned half around to face Luffy. "Of course you can't mention this to them either." She said and turned back around and walked off into the night.

'Well that was surprising' Luffy thought still blushing. He turned around as he sensed someone behind him. It was Belle-mere standing next to her grave and she was smiling. She was only there for a few seconds before she vanished. "Okay, that was weird" Luffy said aloud. He then walked off to go get more food to eat.

The party kept going for two more nights before every one had partied themselves out and passed out from the food and alcohol.

That same night Nami went to get her Arlong tattoo removed and replaced with her pinwheel and tangerine design. After that she went to the house where she grew up one last time. She left all of the money and gold she gathered over the years for the town. She thought about all of the time she spent with Belle-mere both good and bad. Nami was holding her old map of the island she drew when she was a child. Belle-mere was sitting there at the table just listening.

"It's finally over, Belle-mere-san. It took eight long years, but we're finally free. Me, and everyone else. It's just like you said Belle-mere-san, as long as you keep living, good times will eventually come again. It came true. And now, everyone in the village is smiling from the bottom of their hearts. Me? I've decided to leave the island!"

"Don't worry, I'll be okay. They're really good people, and pretty strong too! For the last eight years, I've drawn so many maps. But this is the only one I managed to save. From now on I'll only draw maps for myself. I want to see the world! Together with my nakama! That's my dream. So, I'm not sure when I'll be coming back." Nami said gripping the old map and wiping tears out of her eyes.

"I'm going now, okay." Nami said as she began walking towards the door. She opened the door and it felt like someone pushed her out kind of like nudging her on to go live her life the way she wants. She looked back surprised to see no one was there. Smiling she laughed and walked out of the door one last time.

The next morning Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp were getting Merry ready to leave. Zoro who was climbing up a rope ladder and handed Usopp a crate

"This is the last one, right?" Usopp asked

"Yeah" Zoro said making his way on to the deck of the Merry.

"They've stocked us with plenty of food. Looks like we're ready to go."

"We've only been here a few days, but I feel like we've made so many memories on this island, you know." Usopp said

"I couldn't agree more" Luffy said laughing.

Sanji began looking around for someone in particular. Johnny and Yosaku told Zoro that they were going to stay and continue working as bounty hunters.

"We owe you all so much, hopefully we'll meet again one day."

"Take care of yourselves."

"You guys as well" They said in unison

"Alright, let's get going too!" Usopp said

"Wait a minute! What about Nami-san"

"I didn't think she was coming."

"WHY NOT?!"

"What the hell did you do to her?"

"What are you talking about?"

"She doesn't have a reason to be a pirate anymore."

"Without Nami-san I lose 98.72% of my reason to be here!"

"SET SAIL" Nami yelled as she began running through the crowd of people. She made her way to the end of the pier and jumped over to the ship. She pulled up her shirt just enough to let all of the wallets she stole fall onto the deck. With everyone screaming at her the five straw hats made their way out to sea.

** Back to the future Straw Hats watching through the portal**

"Aside from Usopp getting his Kuro Kabuto and a wide variety of Pop Greens I think I speak for everyone when I say the most shocking part out of all of that was Nami kissing Luffy." Franky said still not exactly sure what to make of that

Sanji erupted into a fire ball when Nami kissed Luffy and he stayed like that for while.

"Nami-san" Sanji said no longer on fire and calming down. "Why did you kiss Luffy?" Sanji said annoyed

"Hey, don't look at me." She said "That wasn't what happened."

Sanji just started crying, he looked pitiful. He was acting like one of Perona's negative hollows passed through him. It was actually pretty sad.

"Don't take that the wrong way. After Arlong Park came down and Nezumi was taken care of Luffy disappeared. After the party started I think Luffy spent all of that time walking around eating as much as he could. I didn't see him at all until we left Cocoyashi."

Sanji stood up, he looked happy again.

"If that's true then why did you kiss him this time?" Brook asked

"Again, I don't know. I don't have any control over that me." She said annoyed

"But she is you, correct?" Robin asked

"Yeah, I guess. But for a little while after I met him in Orange Town I still hated pirates. I tricked him into doing what I wanted. I don't think I would have kissed him."

"He still did what you wanted in Orange Town. He knew what was going to happen and he still let you tie him up." Robin said. "I think that there is a whole other side to our captain that we have never seen before." Robin said chuckling.

"Maybe there is another side to you we haven't seen before? Is there another part of you that has had these thoughts, these fantasies about our captain? Luffy has saved you quite a few times before, has he not?" Robin asked

Sanji went back to looking pathetic.

"Well what about you Robin? You haven't had any of those thoughts after Luffy rescued you from Enies Lobby. And what about Zoro?" Sanji just got worse. He was lying on the ground crying and hitting the ground.

"What about me?" Zoro asked finally listening to the conversation. Up to this point he wasn't interested. But once he heard his name he started paying attention, trying to figure out what they were talking about.

"Luffy has saved me and tried to protect me just as many times as Zoro has done for you." Nami said bringing her train of thought to a grinding halt.

Nami looked to Robin and then to Zoro and back to Robin.

"Do you think they protected us because we are girls, crewmates or because secretly they liked us and that was their way of showing it?"

"Well Zoro?" Robin and Nami asked in unison?

"What do you want from me?"

"Do you like Robin?"

"I think no matter what I say I am going to get hit." Hesitantly Zoro said "Sure"

Sanji got up, ran over to Zoro and went to kick him but he blocked the kick with his sword. The two exchanged a few blows but neither side made any sort of progress before Nami hit them both.

"I was trying to ask a serious question" Nami said yelling at them.

"What do you think…" Nami had to stop mid-sentence when her mouth hit the floor.

Robin had walked over to Zoro grabbed his jacket to pull him closer and kissed him on the lips in front of everyone. They kissed for a few seconds before they separated. Robin giggled and Zoro just blushed a little.

"You won't get anything out of him by just asking questions. You have to take action if you want anything out of him." Robin said

The rest of the crew and the ghost just stood there mouths open wide. Then there was Sanji who was somewhere between sad and furious that Robin-chawn hadn't kissed him.

"Why did it have to be the marimo?"


	13. Loguetown

It was a quiet day in the east blue. The Straw Hat pirates had defeated Arlong just the day before. Luffy was relaxing on the deck just taking a little nap. He was thinking about how his Haki training over the past ten years had gotten him ready for challenges ahead. He had gotten pretty good with his Kenbunshoku Haki. Now he uses it almost subconsciously scanning the waters around the ship and keeping tabs on his nakama.

One other thing that was on Luffy's mind was that Nami kissed him. He did not expect that. She had never done that before. It's not like he didn't like it, he enjoyed it. He was surprised that Nami didn't charge him like she did after she flashed them in the palace bath in Alubarna. But then again she stood there naked in the bath for them all to see. The thought of a naked Nami stirred him from his nap.

'Why did I react when I saw Nami naked and not when I saw Hancock naked?' He thought scratching his head like he usually does when stumped. 'They were both bathing, and they were both completely naked.' That was when Luffy realized that he had a slight bloody nose. "Oh great I am turning into Sanji."

Sanji was below deck with Nami, Usopp and Zoro when he sneezed.

"Someone must be talking about you." Usopp said

"Hopefully it's a pretty girl." Sanji said with his one uncovered eye turning into a heart.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Usopp said drawing Sanji out of dream land

"You wanted to show us something, right Usopp." Zoro said

"Yeah, I did."

"So why isn't Luffy down here? I am sure he would be interested." Nami asked

"That's part of it, I am not sure why but I don't want Luffy to know about this yet."

"Alright, now you've lost me." Nami said scratching her head

"Alright so here it is. While I was fighting one of the Arlong pirates I was working on a strategy to beat him wh…" Usopp was interrupted

"Don't you mean you were hiding because you were scared." Sanji said

Usopp was a little bit annoyed at that comment. Not that it was wasn't partially true. "Either way I was hiding from the Fishman when a bag just appeared in front of me."

"What do you mean it just appeared in front of you?" Sanji asked

"Was there something hidden in the tree and you might have just knocked it out by accident while you were hiding?" Nami asked

"No, I was looking at the ground right in front of me when it appeared. One second it wasn't there and then the next it was." Usopp took the bag out of his satchel and emptied out the contents on the crate they had turned into a makeshift table.

"Look at all the different colored…What are they called?" Nami asked

"According to the information guide they are called Pop Greens and they will expand when they make contact with a target. Based on the patterns they all rapidly grow a different plant."

"Okay, so then what is this?" Sanji asked

"It's called the Kuro Kabuto."

"It looks like your sling shot." Nami said

"Yeah, except that this is supposed to be much more powerful. But that's not even the strangest part of all of this."

"It gets weirder" Nami said smacking her forehead out of frustration.

Usopp took out the note that he kept separate from the bag of weird plant based weaponry. Upon closer inspection and actually more time to look at it the paper was old, really old. He unfolded it and put it on the crate for them to read.

_From a friend,_

_This care package will help you on your journey as you travel the Grand Line and in your travels beyond that. It is filled with plants from an "island" chain in the Grand Line. They are not like your normal stars. They are a lot more powerful and the first time you use one you will be surprised. I have provided you with a half dozen of each kind I use. This will be a good start, make sure not to run out. _

_In the guide I included a list of the ingredients you will need to make an insecticide. As well as everything you will need to know on how to grow these. Build yourself a garden so that you can plant these and grow more. You will need a constant supply of these. _

_Finally take care of Merry for me. Don't let anything get in the way of you and your friends. Not even Merry is worth losing your friends over. Also don't let the gap in strength between you and the monster trio be a deterrent or make you think you are not needed. Use your smarts to out think your opponents. You may never fight the big bad. Don't worry about that. Find what you can do and work to be the best at that._

_WARNINGS :_

_Do not use all of these Pop Greens. _

_Only use one at a time. You will see why. _

_Don't go crazy and fire a lot of them no matter how crazy the situation gets._

_Don't let your supply run out. You won't just come across these like you would normal iron pellets._

_You will be a brave man of the sea one day._

Nami, Sanji and Zoro read over the note. Anything that had to do with the Pop Greens really wasn't of any interest to them. What really got to them was the third paragraph. They also kinda wanted to laugh at the last sentence but they all realized that they had crazy dreams and this one seemed realistically the most possible so they held in their laughter.

"What does that part about Merry mean Usopp?"

"How should I know?"

"How do we know you didn't write this?" Sanji asked quizzically

"Three problems with that Sanji. One, where would I get this stuff, you don't see it growing wild on any island in the East Blue and it's not at any store for you to just buy it. Two, where would I get paper that old, it looks like it could be hundreds of years old. And three, why the hell would I do that?"

"Okay you make a fair argument." Nami said. "But we have one part we can solve now." Nami said pulling out some paper and something to write with. "Ok, write all of that word for word."

"Fine, I will." Usopp said. He began writing and after a while he did see the similarities between his new copy of the letter and the one he found in the bag. Once he was done and they were placed side by side they were almost exactly the same.

"Ok, that is freaky." Zoro said

"Yeah, it is." Nami and Sanji said in unison.

"Okay so it looks like I did write this." Usopp said with his head tilted to the side and arms crossed. He was just as puzzled as the others.

"But you have no idea what any of this means right?" Nami said

"None, not even a little. Well okay a little bit, but only from what I read in the guide."

"This is going to sound weird but does this feel kind of familiar to anyone else?" Zoro asked

"What are you talking about Zoro?" Nami asked

"Well about a little over a month ago now I was having lunch when my katana appeared in front of me kinda like this bag did for Usopp. Except when I touched the sword it felt like something was happening to my brain, I think it was something important. And once it was done my sword just vanished and I could remember events that haven't happened yet. A little after that all that I had just learned was gone. Only recently have I had weird thoughts that I can't explain like remembering small bits of information but not enough to make any sense of. And then now, today of all days I remember all of this and I still can't recall any of those other memories."

Nami, Usopp, and Sanji looked at Zoro and they were completely shocked that something like that could come out of Zoro's mouth.

"Well, say something" Zoro said getting annoyed that they were just standing there.

"Sorry, just had to process all of that." Sanji said. "But now that you mention it something strange like that happened to me and I think it was also just over a month ago."

"Something like this happened to me while I was on a boat looking at a map and one of Nojiko's bracelets appeared on the map, I touched it and not long after it was gone along with all of the memories."

"A duplicate of my slingshot."

"What are you talking about?"

"This same exact thing happened to me and my item was the slingshot my dad gave me when I was little."

"Okay, something important to Zoro is his sword, for Nami it is a bracelet your sister gave you or would give you, mine was my slingshot, and Sanji's was? What is the item that is most important to you?"

"A knife, it is the same knife I use now and it's the same one I have used for years. Zeff gave a set of knives to me as a present for finally becoming a chef worthy of cooking for people at the Baratie."

"Ok, so we all let someone use items precious to us to implant memories and who knows what else into our brains." Nami said

"Yeah it would seem that way." Zoro said

"I think we can draw one more conclusion from this." Usopp said

"What would that be?" Sanji asked

"It's likely that we all knew each other. Or I guess it would be more accurate to say that we have all known each other for at least a few years." Usopp said

"What makes you say that?" Nami asked

"Well, we've only known each other for a few weeks. Yet somehow the same thing happened to us all a little over a month ago. What are the odds that four people who have just met have had something precious to them appear and then disappear just as fast?" Usopp asked

"You know, you might be right. Well I think there is one thing we can do to get answers." Nami said with a devilish smile. "We get Luffy really drunk, ask him questions and hope he just begins talking."

"How do we know we will get the truth out of him if we do this?" Sanji asked

"Something tells me that he is a really bad liar and alcohol will get him to really open up. The next island we get to we buy lots of alcohol and one day while we are on the boat we get our captain really drunk." Nami said

The three guys agreed with Nami's idea. They weren't sure if they would actually get any useful information out of Luffy. Regardless it would be fun to get him drunk and ask him questions.

With that Usopp packed up all of his stuff and hid it for the time being. Nami and Usopp went to the back deck behind the kitchen and went about their day. Zoro went to the front of the ship to relax while Sanji went into the kitchen to prep for lunch.

Nami pulled out a lounge chair, an umbrella, set it up and began to relax. Zoro sat down and pulled his sword out of the holster on his waist and fell asleep near the front of the ship. Usopp went on to make new stars until he figured out what he was going to do with his new weapon. They all went on relaxing until a news coo flew down and landed on the railing of the Merry. Nami got up and begrudgingly paid the increased price for the newspaper. The news coo flew off before Nami could change her mind.

"Are you really upset about giving the news coo more money for the paper?" Usopp asked

"It adds up Usopp."

"Well we should stay up to date on current events and I don't know any other way while we are out on the sea. And you don't have to save money anymore, its ok to spend it once in a while."

"I don't want to be a poor pirate but I guess that's true. But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

Nami sat back down on the lounge chair, got comfortable and opened the paper. She began flipping through the pages until something fell out from between two pages. She picked up the piece of paper looked at it and screamed. "LUFFY" Nami yelled everyone except Zoro who was sleeping came running to see what was going on.

"What did I do?" Luffy said knowing it was likely his first wanted poster.

"Look at this!" Nami said

"Shishishi, my first wanted poster." Luffy said excited.

"Let me see that." Usopp said taking the poster from Nami. "What, 30,000,000 beri!"

"What's going on over here?" Sanji said finally making his way from the kitchen.

"Luffy's wanted!" Usopp said. "And look I am on the poster as well."

"What" Sanji said kind of shocked

Usopp pointed to the back of his head in the bottom left corner of the poster.

"That's the back of your head. It doesn't count." Sanji said kind of ticked off.

"Don't be jealous, you can get one too. You don't have to be captain to get one of these. Well that is if you work hard." Usopp and Sanji began goofing around and acting like idiots.

"You guys don't get it. This is going to be a problem." Nami said annoyed that they were just as care free as always. After goofing around Sanji went back to the kitchen to continue cooking lunch.

"Don't worry about it Nami." Luffy said. "We can handle anything the East Blue can throw at us and after a little time you guys will be able to handle anything in the Grand Line."

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

Zoro was on the other side of the ship awake. '30,000,000 beri. We are going to have to be ready to fight bounty hunters coming after a bounty that large. We won't be able to relax here in the East Blue and we will have our work cut out for us on the Grand Line. I am going to have to get stronger. That monster trio thing in that letter, I can only assume it's referring to me, Luffy and the love cook.'

After lunch the five Straw Hats were outside discussing where to go next.

"Luffy, there is one last island before we head for the Grand Line. I suggest we go there and stop for supplies. We have no idea what we are going to be up against when we reach the Grand Line." Nami said.

"That's Loguetown right?" Luffy asked

"Yeah, it's the Town of the Beginning and the End." Zoro said relaxing against a railing.

"That's the island where the King of the Pirates Gol D. Roger was born and was executed." Nami said

"Nami, how do we actually get to the Grand Line?" Usopp asked

"We have to go up Reverse Mountain to reach the Grand Line?" Nami said pointing to a map.

"We have to go up a… mountain… to get there. I can't imagine that." Usopp said scratching his head.

The next day the Straw Hats docked the ship on an unpopulated side of the island and they began walking towards town.

"Get everything we are going to need. We don't know when we will be able to get more supplies once we get to the Grand Line." Nami said

"Hey, are we missing someone?" Sanji asked

"When the hell did he disappear?" Zoro asked

"Whatever let him explore. We can get everything done first and drop it off at the ship. Either we will run into him or he will find us later." Nami said shrugging her shoulders

"Besides we know what he is here to see and really how much trouble can he get into?" Usopp said

"Sanji-kun you are responsible for getting the sake for our plan."

"Hai, Nami-swan." Sanji said with hearts in his eyes.

Everyone went off their separate ways.

Usopp began walking around for stuffy to buy. He found and purchased a pair of goggles from the North Blue. He went on to buy wood, nails and anything else he could think of that might be necessary to build a garden. Usopp had the man at the hardware store cut the wood into manageable pieces that he could carry. He also managed to find all of the ingredients for the insecticide he would have to make.

Nami had walked off to go shopping. She purchased more than enough clothes to last her for a little while. She managed to save a lot by buying from stores in bulk which while great for her also earned he a lot of flak from the owners of the store, essentially banning her from shopping there again. But while she was paying for her clothes at one store she was talking to the woman running the cash register.

"Ever since the new Marine Captain was put in charge of the base on this island it has been a lot more peaceful. This island is the last stop before the Grand Line. Pirates come here to restock. They arrive on this island on their own ships but leave on a Marine ship. I'm not sure how many pirates have actually made it off the island recently."

"Really?" Nami said trying not to freak out. After a moment she remembered something Zoro said about comparing Luffy to an iceberg and being stronger than all of the people on the East Blue.

"Do you know how he catches them?" Nami asked

"I have heard people say he is a devil fruit user. I thought they were just rumors."

"Yeah, I have never actually seen one myself but I believe they exist." Nami said. Nami payed for her sack of clothes and walked away with some valuable info. "Thank you" Nami said walking away from the cashier with a smile and a wave.

Sanji had been walking around the island when he found the fish market. He began looking around and saw something that he had only seen in a book. It was a large elephant tuna. He decided he was going to buy it. He was a little disappointed to learn that that it was the grand prize for a cooking contest. He believed he could win, he just didn't want to have to compete. But because he wanted to cook the fish he entered. He was the last participant to enter the contest before registration closed at noon. After that Sanji continued to walk around until he found a liquor store. He bought plenty of alcohol for the crew to interrogate their captain someday soon. He also purchased enough food supplies to last them for at least a few weeks. But with Luffy's appetite who really knew how long it would last. He brought it all back to the ship and went back to the fish market in time for the cooking contest.

In the meantime Zoro was walking around looking for a sword shop. He saw that a crowd had gathered. Two pirates were harassing a blue haired woman carrying a sword. They were angry that their boss had been captured by Smoker. The pirates went to attack Tashigi. Zoro got ready to help but she dispatched both pirates easily. With the two pirates down on the ground Tashigi stumbled and fell over. She lost her glasses in the process. Zoro walked over and picked them up.

"Thank you for picking up my glasses." She said looking up at Zoro. But when Zoro saw how much she looked like his dead friend Kuina he involuntarily closed his hand and broke the her glasses.

"You broke my glasses." Tashigi said annoyed "Please pay for new ones."

"Sorry, I don't have any money." Zoro said. Tashigi started saying and accusing him of random things. He could not get a word in. She would just keep talking, coming up with ridiculous stories, none of which were true.

"Since you are having money troubles please follow me, I know a place that can always use more people." She said. Tashigi just started walking off. At this point Zoro didn't know she was a Marine but something was going off in his head like he had met her before. He knew that she wasn't Kuina. She died around a decade ago. She felt familiar somehow and it wasn't a good sense of familiarity, something about her just bothered him and he just couldn't figure out what it was. She had made it about ten feet before she turned around to look at him.

"Are you coming?" She asked in an irritated tone. Zoro didn't say anything. He just started walking and he followed her through town to a Marine base of all places.

'Well shit. Of all the places it had to be the Marines.'

"I am sure we can find you some work here." She said over joyed.

The two of them made it up to the third floor before she gave him something to do.

"Please clean the floors." She said. But before she could say anything else a Marine came up to her.

"Sergeant Major." A marine said saluting. "If you would follow me, afternoon drills are about to begin." He said.

The low ranking marine walked off and Tashigi followed but not before handing Zoro a mop and a bucket of water. After a minute she was out of sight.

"Well this sucks." Zoro said. "What am I supposed to do now?" He said to himself. So for lack of a better reason and because he was bored he began cleaning. He quickly realized that he was going to spending a lot of time mopping the whole floor. So he found two more mops and began cleaning like he would fight. He got a fair bit done while he was there. That was until two marines recognized him. He took them out rather fast and without drawing his sword. He took money out of their wallets. He left the money along with a note for Tashigi. After that he walked out of the Marine base and continued to look for new swords. After aimlessly walking around he found a sword shop. He walked in and up to the counter towards the back of the store and woke up who he suspected to be the owner of the store.

"I'm looking for two swords." Zoro said

"Oh, please feel free to look around." The owner Ippon-matsu said quite happily.

"I only have 100,000 beri to spend." Zoro said putting the money down on the counter. Hearing that the owner's mood did a complete 180.

"50,000 will get you a crappy sword."

"Whatever you have is fine, I don't really have the much money now."

'He must not be that good if he doesn't care what kind of blade he is getting."

That was when he spotted the sword on Zoro's hip. "Can I take a look at the sword you have there?" He asked stumbling over his words

"Weird old man" Zoro said under his breath.

The owner began to freak out at the sword that he held in his hands. It was a meitou. 'It's not every day a novice walks in with a named blade. I have to keep calm.'

"How about this, I will buy this old beat up katana off of you for 200,000 beri?"

"What are you talking about?"

"With that you can buy three decent swords for 100,000 each."

He kept offering incrementally more money. "Listen, that sword is not for sale. It doesn't matter how much you offer me."

The owner was going to pester Zoro more to sell the sword that was until Tashigi came into the store and asked if her sword Shigure was all done.

"I'm so glad you are ok. I heard someone broke into the Marine base. When I saw you were gone I was worried."

'What is wrong with this lady?'Zoro thought to himself. 'I definitly have met her before, you don't just forget someone this annoying.' Tashigi kept talking at Zoro.

"Since you are here that means you rejected my charity and ran out on honest work. Take your money back." She said stuffing the money into Zoro's hand. "I refuse to accept money from someone who refuses peoples good natured gestures. And look, I got new glasses" She put them on and got a good look at the katana in the owners hands. Is that the Wado Ichimonji?" Tashigi asked all excited to see such a magnificent blade.

"Wado Ichimonji" Zoro said to himself. It was then that something in Zoro's head clicked and just like that everything came flooding back to him. It was like a dam burst and suddenly he could recall all of the things he learned for those brief few moments over a month ago now. 'I am going to kill him.' Zoro thought to himself annoyed by the idiotic actions of his captain. Instead of acting on it and leaving to beat up Luffy, Zoro let this play itself out.

"It is the Wado Ichimonji isn't it?" She asked

'Don't say it! Don't say it!'

"This is definitely one of the 21 legendary O Wazamono" Tashigi pulled out a pocket sized book on swords and flipped to the page that contained info on the sword in her hand. "This sword is worth more than 20,000,000 beri. Why would a person like you have such a famous Meitou?" Tashigi asked not really trying to be insulting but she had succeeded in doing so any way. But Zoro kept his cool. He was not going to let her bother him. After all she wasn't so bad. She was just very passionate about swords and that was something he could understand, even if she did take it just a little bit too far.

"YOU! You told him everything! You're ruining my business!"

"Ruining your business? I'm sorry, did I say something bad?" Tashigi said adjusting her glasses.

"You came here for your Shigure, right? Here! It's been sharpened. Now take it and get out!" He tossed the sword to her and stumbled over to the rack of katanas and knocked them all down.

"Why would you do that? What is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry."

"That girl saved you. That sword is a famous meitou, something an amature like you doesn't deserve to carry. The swords in the barrels over there are 50,000 beri each. Pick two and get out of my store!"

Zoro walked over to the barrels and looked through them just long enough for Tashigi to walk over to him.

"You must really like swords to be carrying three of them. It sounds like this one bounty hunter."

"A bounty hunter, huh?"

"He's infamous his name is Roronoa Zoro."

"I hear the name a lot."

"He has a reputation throughout the East Blue as a great swordsman. But he is evil. Using a sword as a tool to acquire money is unforgivable! Why do all of the famous swords belong to pirates or bounty hunters?"

"Well different people have different circumstances, don't they? Peoples occupations are determined by the time they live in." Zoro said

"I swear, with this Shigure I will be a swordsman and improve my skills. One day I'm going to travel the world and free the meitou from undeserving hands!"

"You gonna take this katana too? The Wado Ichimonji." Zoro said unsheathng the sword just a little for Tashigi to get a glimpse of the blade.

"No, I don't want to own the meitou. I just don't want them in the hands of evil people." That was when Zoro grabbed the Sandai Kitetsu. 'Here we go.' Zoro thought to himself.

"That katana is…" She grabbed her book and found the page about the Sandai Kitestu. "Are you really gonna sell this katana for only 50,000?" Tashigi asked but by now Zoro had unsheathed the sword and was looking at his problem child once again. "That's an amazing deal! It's a legendary sword. You really should get it. It's worth 1,000,000 beri."

"No, I won't sell it!"

"I knew it, it seems strange to sell this sword for so little."

"No, it's not that!"

"It's cursed." Zoro said still looking at the sword and admiring the blade on it.

"You knew?"

"No, I feel it."

"The three of them are all excellent katana. But they are all cursed! You won't find anyone using a Kitetsu today." Matsu said

"I'm sorry! I had no idea it was so terrible!" Tashigi said "I shouldn't have gotten involved."

"I like it. I'll take it."

"Are you crazy? If I sell it to you and you die, won't it be like I killed you?"

"How about this? My luck and this swords curse. Let's see which one is stronger!" Zoro said as he tossed the sword up into the air and he held his arm out in the way of the blade.

"Are you crazy, that sword will chop off your arm!" Mastu said panicking. Zoro closed his eyes and waited for the results. The sword spun harmlessly around his arm and embedded itself deep into the floor.

"I'll take it." Zoro said pleased with himself. Tashigi and Matsu both just fell down.

"Oi. Pick out one more for me, will you?" Zoro said to Tashigi " " Tashigi said still shaken up by what she had just seen.

"Wait a minute" Matsu said as he got up and went up the stairs behind the counter. He came back down with another katana. It was Yubashiri. "This may not be a big store, but this is the best katana I have."

"I can't buy it! I told you, didn't I? I don't have the money."

"Forget the money. I'm not charging you for either sword. I'm sorry for trying to cheat you before. It's been a long time since I saw a true swordsman. They say a katana chooses its master. I'll pray for your good fortune."

With that Zoro took the two swords and walked out of the store. Walking through town he was thinking about all of the new things going through his head. 'I am not even sure what to think right now. All of our adventures we have to do them all over again.' Instead of being mad he was actually more excited than he probably should be. 'I can work on my Haki with Luffy and improve that considerably before we get to the New World.'

Speaking of Luffy, like last time he was wandering all around town looking for the execution platform. He still had no idea where it was located. He managed to make his way back to the docks where he first met Smoker. Smoker had just taken care of a group of pirates who had been restocking before heading for the Grand Line.

"Hey, do you know how to get to the execution platform?" Luffy asked

"Why do you want to go there?" Smoker asked curious as to why this boy in a straw hat was looking for such a place.

"I want to see where the pirate king died!"

"Follow the smoke" he said as a long white gray trail of smoke pointed him in the right direction.

"Thanks Smokey." Luffy said

"What a strange kid!" Smoker said as he ordered his men to take the captured pirates back to the marine base.

Luffy continued to wander around town. That was until he sensed Zoro who was wandering around and happened to be nearby. Luffy made a b-line and ran towards Zoro.

"Hey, Zoro" Luffy said just loud enough to get his attention.

"Where have you been?" Zoro asked

"I was just down at the docks. I ran into an old friend." Luffy said chuckling. "Oh you got new swords. Did you have to borrow money from Nami?"

"Yeah, I did, but I didn't have to spend any of it. The owner of the store tried to rip me off so he gave me these as an apology."

"That is really nice of him." Luffy said as he began to walk away.

"Luffy, where are you going?" Luffy turned and smiled. "Going to have lunch, you coming?"

"Yeah, sure." Zoro said as he shrugged it off and began walking.

Twenty minutes later Luffy and Zoro walked into a restaurant. There were plenty of normal people around. But there was one table that was suspicious. Two people had cloaks on which wasn't unusual but made them stick out. Luffy could tell it was Buggy. The two of them had lunch and Luffy ate like usual. When it was time to pay for their meal something happened as Buggy and Mohji were talking. Buggy was hitting the table consecutive times, over the course of the pounding on the table their money ended up on a fork. Buggy hit the end of the fork and the money was launched into the air and ended up on Luffy and Zoro's table. Zoro took a few gold coins out of the bag to pay for their lunch and they got up and walked out of the restaurant but not before putting the bag of coins back on the table.

"Where to now Luffy?"

"I am still looking for the execution platform."

"Alright, let's go."

While Luffy and Zoro were having lunch Sanji competed in the cooking contest. Nami and Usopp had found their way to the docks and watched Sanji beat all of the people he went up against in the contest. Sanji claimed the grand prize the elephant tuna. He and Usopp were now carrying the fish when Nami stopped them.

"It looks like a storm is headed our way."

"Really, but it is so nice out right now." Usopp said skeptical of Nami's prediction.

"Usopp you and Nami go ready the ship so we are prepared if we have to leave town in a hurry."

"Who put you in charge?" Usopp asked

"Do you want to fight off whoever might be chasing our idiot captain and the marimo?"

"No I don't."

"Ok then, now go." Nami and Usopp began running towards the ship.

Eventually the two of them managed to find their way to the center of town where the execution platform was located. Luffy climbed the platform and was now standing where the former pirate king Gol D. Roger stood and saw what he saw.

'This is just as cool the second time.' Luffy thought to himself. As Luffy was looking out at the view before him people started gathering. It wasn't long before the police showed up and were telling him to get off the platform. The captain was about to say something but was smacked in the head with an iron club and fell to the ground. One pirate took off her cloak and began talking to Luffy. He knew this time that it was Alvida. He still couldn't believe how much she changed it was crazy. Soon a cannon ball hit the fountain in the middle of the square. It broke up and a large piece began flying towards her. It harmlessly slid off her skin and into the building nearby. Buggy and the rest of the Buggy pirates removed their cloaks. People recognized Buggy and they began to run. But they didn't make it that far before yelled and they all stopped. As this was happening more clouds were gathering and that was when it happened again. Luffy was pinned to the platform.

"Are you ready to be flashily executed?" Buggy said to his rubber hostage.

"I'm sorry, please don't kill me." Luffy said sarcastically

Sanji made it to the plaza earlier and had made his way through the crowd of people. He managed to find Zoro who was looking up at his captain who had just been captured.

"Why aren't you doing anything?" Sanji said really annoyed at Zoro

"You don't have to worry about Luffy, just be ready to fight your way out of here."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Trust me, just watch."

The storm was becoming even worse. The thunder was crackling every so often.

"Since there is such a large crowd do you have any last words Mugiwara?"

"I'M THE MAN WHO IS GOING TO BECOME THE KING OF THE PIRATES!" Luffy yelled out to the crowded plaza. The people in the plaza were shocked that someone would say something like that so close to death in the same place the Gold Roger died.

After Luffy said that Buggy swung his sword down to Luffy's neck. Like last time Luffy smiled and just before the sword could make contact a bolt of lightning struck the platform causing it to catch on fire and fall over. The rain began falling. A few moments later people were just standing there with their mouths wide open. Luffy picked up his hat, brushed it off, put it on his head and walked over to Sanji and Zoro.

"What did I tell you?" Zoro said

"Are you guys ready to go?"

Sanji and Zoro nodded their heads and they began to walk away. Alvida ordered the Buggy Pirates to attack Luffy, Sanji and Zoro. The three straw hats began fighting back and were having no problem taking out the pirates. In the meantime the marines had showed up and started fighting pirates and evacuating civilians. The three straw hats made their way out of the plaza and started running thru the streets towards their ship.

By now Nami and Usopp were on the Going Merry. Usopp managed to distract Richie with food and Nami whacked Mohji with her staff knocking him to the ground. As Nami and Usopp were getting ready to climb up the rope ladder some Marines began firing on them.

Back with the three guys, they continued running towards the Merry. That was until Zoro saw Tashigi standing there in the rain with her head down her hair covering her eyes.

Luffy looked back at Zoro and saw that his expression had changed.

"You lied to me. You didn't tell me you were Roronoa Zoro. I can't let you have the legendary Wado Ichimonji."

"How dare you lie to a lady."

"I didn't lie to her, she never asked my name."

"Sanji lets keep going." Luffy began running and Sanji reluctantly ran to catch up to Luffy.

The two of them were running and it wasn't long before they ran into Smoker.

"Sanji keep going, I can handle him."

"Alright, don't take too long." Luffy nodded and Sanji took off running.

"I was hoping to avoid facing you." 'I think it would be a bad idea to use Haki on him now.'

"I won't let you escape and make it out to sea."

"Gomu Gomu no Pistol" Luffy said as he went to punch smoker and his fist went through Smoker. "You're a devil fruit user?" Smoker said a little surprised. "White Snakes" Smoker said as his arms turned to smoke and extended out towards Luffy. Luffy wasn't trying very hard but avoiding things had almost become second nature to him.

While Smoker and Luffy were fighting Nami and Usopp had gotten the ship ready. They were setting sail as Sanji finally made his way to the ship. Marines weren't too far behind. Sanji began to attack the marines. Usopp began shooting at the Marines trying to help Sanji. After a short fight most of the marines were on the ground. Sanji began running along the coast and jumped onto the railing of the Merry. They made sure to stay close to the coast while they continued sailing. While sailing they were waiting for Luffy and Zoro to show up.

Back with Luffy and Smoker fighting. Luffy stood in between Smokers elongated arms. Smoker expanded the smoke so that it was would be possible to capture Luffy. . Luffy let himself get caught he didn't want to give the Marines a reason to send stronger soldiers after them just yet. Smoker arms retracted back to himself. "For 30,000,000 I was expecting more of a challenge." "Sorry to disappoint you Smokey." Luffy just chuckled and cracked a smile.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Just thinking."

"You will have plenty of time to think now that I have captured you." Luffy was lying on the ground. Smoker was sitting on his back. It wouldn't be difficult for Luffy to escape but he knew something good was going to happen soon.

"Your luck has run out." Smoker said as he went to grab his jutte. But was stopped by Dragon.

"You're Dragon!" Smoker said

"What, who's there?" Luffy said knowing exactly who he was. But he couldn't tell either of them that. Right now it's just better to play ignorant.

"The government wants your head." Smoker said

"The world is waiting for our answer"

Suddenly an enormous gust of wind blew through the entire town. The pirates who had been captured by Smoker and the Marines were freed and and were sent flying through the streets. Luffy and Smoker were sent flying. Zoro was blown down towards the water. As fast as the wind started it stopped. Luffy made it out unscathed. Nearby someone was climbing out of the rubble.

"Zoro" Luffy said catching the attention of the green haired swordsman.

"Luffy, where are the others?"

"Out there." Luffy said pointing out to sea. Luffy ran towards a building, grabbed onto a railing.

"Oh shit" Zoro said as Luffy and launched the two of them out to sea.

Luffy &amp; Zoro hit the back sail and landed on the back deck of the ship.

"You two ok?" Nami asked concerned for her friends.

"Of course, why wouldn't we be?" Luffy said just smiling and laughing it off like nothing happened.

"You have to be kidding." Zoro said "I'm fine but look how far we were just launched, you can go and do crazy stuff like that because you are made out of rubber. But be a little cautious when pulling stunts like that with the rest of us." Zoro said pulling on Luffy's cheek.

"Sorry Zoro, I will try to be more careful." Luffy said rubbing the back of his neck. "But to be fair I couldn't see you swimming with me in this weather. I can't swim so this was the fastest option."

"Huh…" Zoro said scratching his head. "Fine just a little warning next time."

"I will try." Luffy said laughing it off.

Sometime later the storm hadn't cleared up yet. They were making some progress but the wind wasn't always blowing in their favor. Eventually they could see the lighthouse guiding them towards the entrance to the Grand Line.

"There it is" Nami said "That lighthouse shows us the way to the Grand Line. Do you want to wait out the storm?"

"Let's head for the Grand Line" Luffy said very excited

"One last thing we have to do before we head for that ocean." Sanji said pulling out a barrel. The five of them stood around the barrel and Sanji began.

"To find the All Blue" Sanji said putting one foot on the barrel

"To become King of the pirates" Luffy said doing the same

"To become the world's greatest swordsman."

"To draw a map of the whole world."

"To become a brave warrior of the sea."

They all stated their dreams, lifted the foot that was on the barrel into the air. In one swift motion they all brought their feet down destroying the barrel.

"Let's go to the Grand Line?" Luffy said raising both fists into the air. 'Robin, Chopper, Franky, Brook. We are one step closer to having you rejoin us. Someday I hope you will listen to my story and understand why I did what I did. I hope you will all be able to forgive me for being so selfish.'

**Back to the future Straw Hats watching through the portal**

"How dare you kiss Robin-chawn you idiot swordsman!" Sanji said furious

"What are you talking about you ero cook. She kissed me."

"I don't care who kissed who, it's just that you did that bothers me."

"Would you get over it" Zoro said having enough of this conversation. "Although, it did feel good." Zoro said just thinking about it and cracking an evil smile in the direction of the already pissed off Sanji.

Nami got ready to hit Sanji but Franky did it for her.

"Sorry Nami, I always wanted to do that. Now I know why you do it."

"Why is that?" Nami said kind of curious as to the cyborgs answer

"Great stress relief." Franky said

"Yes and no" Nami said. "That isn't exactly right but it is pretty close." Nami said before her mouth hit the floor again.

Zoro had walked over to Robin, wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned in to kiss her again. At first Robin was a little surprised but after a bit she really began to enjoy the kiss. They kissed passionately for a few minutes until they had to break apart to catch their breath.

"Zoro-san, I didn't know you had it in you." Brook said a little jealous but also kind of shocked that Zoro would go for more. Robin started it, no one figured that Zoro would step up and try to make a move on the archeologist.

No one was more stunned than Sanji. He went off to cry, soon followed by Chopper who went off to try and make him feel a little better.

"It's about time." Franky said

"I agree." Nami said "You could feel the sexual tension between the two of them since we made it back to Sabaody around a year ago."

Sanji had calmed down and was now composed. Although you could tell he had been upset. "Zoro, I concede to you and Luffy, should we see him again. I have already found my princess, I just hope she will accept me."

Everyone was stunned. None of them had seen this side of Sanji before. He accepted defeat like a man at least when it came to the ladies on the crew.

"Wait a minute, what are you talking about?" Nami asked

"In the bottom of my heart I always had a feeling I could never truly win your heart and be your knight Nami-san. We all knew that you've had feelings for Luffy for a long time even if you didn't recognize them yourself. You never had the chance to express them. Luffy was always going crazy and never really understood romance."

Nami stood there shocked along with the rest of the crew. "You really have matured Sanji-kun."

"Thank you." Nami said, her cheeks bright red. "I just hope Luffy feels the same way." Nami said twiddling her thumbs.

**A/N: I want to assume now that Zoro has his memories back he can use his Haki. Maybe not at the same level as post timeskip, specifically in one of the most recent chapters in the manga. But he has it. Haki is a spiritual thing and not exactly based on strength alone. I am going to assume from here on out Zoro can also cut metal. If I recall correctly it was all in his head when he learned to cut metal fighting against Mr. 1. **


	14. Over Reverse Mountain

A few days have passed since the Straw Hats escaped from Loguetown with the help of Dragon. Luffy could easily have defeated Smoker. It would have been bad had Smoker reported to the Government that the captain of the Straw Hat pirates could use something that they would have identified as Haki. That would have meant more trouble for these rookie pirates. The government would send much stronger opponents. Luffy would be able to protect them but they would need some time to learn and hone the skills they didn't have. They passed the light house that pointed them in the correct direction. Now all they have to do is make it up and over Reverse Mountain.

Inside the kitchen the Straw Hats were looking at a map of the East Blue.

"We have to go up Reverse Mountain to get to the Grand Line." Nami said

"Up… a…mountain…" Usopp said terrified

"That's just crazy." Sanji said

"I know, but there is no other way to get to the Grand Line."

"What about the Calm Belt?" Usopp asked

"We can't go through there."

"Why not?"

"There is no wind on the calm belt. We would be rowing this ship the whole way through. And that's where giant sea kings live." Luffy said

"Up Reverse Mountain it is." Usopp said getting excited for the journey. He was less scared of the mountain than he was of the sea kings.

"Why does hearing the name Calm Belt make me so angry?" Sanji said to no one in particular

"It's time we go back outside and ready the ship so we are prepared for whatever this mountain will throw at us." Nami said. "Usopp you stay here. We can't afford to go off course."

Once out of the kitchen Sanji made his way up to the crow's nest for lookout duty. Right away he could see something in the distance. He picked up the binoculars and in the distance he could see a fierce storm and they were heading right for it.

"Nami-san there is a storm up ahead." Sanji yelled from the crow's nest.

A little while later they were fully engulfed in the storm.

"The currents are getting stronger, we are going off course!" Nami said

"I can't move the rudder." Usopp said from the kitchen

"Sanji-kun go help him" Nami said getting annoyed

"Hai Nami-swan" Sanji said running to the helm in the kitchen. Sanji and Usopp tried to correct the course but weren't having any luck. They weren't able to move it.

"What's going on back there Sanji-kun?" Nami asked

"The current is too strong it won't budge!" Sanji yelled

"Stop before you snap the pole." Luffy said to his two crewmates. "We can't lose this it's our only means of steering the ship. Nami, we can't adjust our course." Luffy said

"Well that is going to be a problem if we are even a little bit off." Nami said as she pointed to the Red Line and the upcoming entrance to Reverse Mountain.

"The water is going up the mountain." Zoro said still surprised that it was possible.

"That is incredible." Nami said looking at the force of nature that can push all that water up a mountain.

"We can't see the top through all the clouds, how tall do you think the Red Line is?" Usopp asked

"It doesn't matter how tall it is if we hit the side of the mountain. If we crash we are going to die." Nami said

"Keep on sailing straight ahead. We are only slightly off course." Luffy said

Luffy ran towards the railing handed his hat to Nami and jumped over and said "Gomu Gomu no Fuusen" expanding himself. Luffy put himself between the boat and the gate, preventing them from crashing. The Merry made it past the first gate and continued up the mountain. "Luffy, grab on." Zoro said and Luffy stretched his arm and grabbed on to Zoro's hand and he landed semi-safely on the deck of the Going Merry.

Once safe Luffy walked over to Nami and she handed him his precious hat. 'I can't believe he gave me his hat to hold on to. He doesn't let anyone touch his hat.' Nami thought to herself. Nami shook her head side to side and walked up the stairs towards the kitchen. "Now we head for the peak." Nami said taking off her raincoat.

Once again the Straw hats were comfortably riding the current up Reverse Mountain.

"We are in the clouds!" Luffy said

"This is so awesome" Usopp said still shacking. He was terrified but it was still a miraculous site to behold.

"Look up there, it's the peak!" Nami said

A few moments later the Straw hats were launched into the air and soon after started their decent down the mountain to the Grand Line. As they were making their way down the mountain Zoro was the first to mention hearing a noise over the rapid flow of the water.

"I just heard a strange noise!" Zoro said 'Great, Laboon is all pissed off again.'

Finally out of the clouds the crew could see a giant object obstructing their path off the mountain.

"IT'S A WHALE!" Usopp yelled

"We are heading right for it." Sanji said

"There's an opening to the left! Hard to port!" Zoro said

Zoro, Usopp and Sanji went to try and turn the rudder but it still wasn't budging even with all three of them pushing.

That was when Luffy did something really stupid. He went down and fired a cannon at Laboon again. This miraculously slowed them down. The only causality was the figure head of the Going Merry. Nami, Sanji and Usopp were terrified. Zoro wasn't surprised that Luffy would do something so stupid again.

They managed to row around the whale and they were safe for the moment. But like clockwork Luffy did something stupid. He punched the whale in the eye.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?" Usopp yelled

"He broke my special seat." Luffy said pouting.

Laboon looked down at the pirates and began wailing and then opened his mouth and began swallowing a lot of sea water. The small Going Merry couldn't go against the flow of the water going into the whale's mouth. The Merry soon was swallowed by the giant whale. All five pirates eventually made it into the whale's stomach. They met a strange old man living on an island. Crocus introduced himself and soon jumped into the stomach acid and swam over to a ladder and began climbing.

"Guys, lets head for the doors." Luffy said

"You mean to get out of here?" Usopp asked

"Yeah, that and for another reason." They began rowing towards the large doors.

In front of the large door in the whales stomach Luffy stretched his arm and flew up to the platform higher up on the right. He opened up the two smaller doors and was met by Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9.

"Yo" Luffy said as he grabbed the two of them and dropped them into the sea of stomach acid below them. Luffy jumped down inflated himself and softly floated down to the Merry's deck.

"Luffy how did you know they were there?" Sanji said

"I can sense people around me by using Haki."

"What is Haki?"

"I will explain what it is later."

While this was going on Usopp tossed the rope ladder down for the two mysterious people to climb up. Crocus went and sedated Laboon, stopping him from ramming into the Red Line and covering his head with more scars. The two baroque works agents soon made their way over to the ladder, climbed up and sat against the railing.

"Miss Wednesday, these people are pirates do you think they can be reasoned with?"

"I'm not sure Mr. 9."

Sanji was staring lovingly at Miss Wednesday like he would any other woman. The other pirates weren't saying anything they were just staring at the strange people on their ship.

"What are you two doing here?" Nami asked breaking the silence among the crew.

They didn't respond.

"They are here to kill Laboon and take his meat for their village." Crocus said making his way back down the ladder and onto the Merry.

The straw hats were speechless

"The meat from Laboon would last them a long time." Crocus said

"Our mission is to kill this whale, we won't fail." They said as they picked up the cannons and pointed them at the painted ceiling of Laboon's stomach.

"That's funny." Luffy said

"What is?" Mr. 9 asked

"I won't let you hurt this whale." Luffy said as he grabbed their cannons and tossed them into the stomach acid.

"If you want to hurt this whale you are going to have to go swimming again."

They two Baroque works agents gave up, they didn't want to go back into the stomach acid. And for good measure Luffy knocked them out so they wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Thanks for that kid."

"Don't mention it, I just didn't want to see these idiots hurt the whale."

"So, why are you living inside a whale's stomach?" Nami asked

"The reason I am living in Laboon's stomach is so that I can treat him. He keeps ramming his head against the Red Line, I'm Laboons doctor I can't treat him effectively from outside so I do that from in here. Laboon is waiting for a certain group of pirates to return from over Reverse Mountain. I can tell you more but let's continue this outside."

With that they sailed Crocus over to his small island, dropped him off and they made their way through one giant door and into a canal. After a little sailing they made their way to another giant door. Crocus opened it and they made their way outside.

"Earlier you were saying he was waiting for pirates?"

"Yeah, he's waiting for the Rumbar Pirates to make their way here again. Laboon followed them from the West Blue fifty years ago."

"Fifty years" Usopp said shocked

"They promised that they would make it around the world and they would come back here to see their friend again."

"Do you think they will ever come back?" Usopp asked

"Idiot, this is the Grand Line. They're dead." Sanji said

"You don't know that." Usopp said

"No, I found out that they escaped the Grand Line sometime after they began their journey."

"You mean they went through the calm belt?" Nami asked shocked

"I'm not sure but that is the only other way into and out of the Grand Line, That way is more dangerous than Reverse Mountain."

"If you knew this, why haven't you told him?"

"I did tell him, but he refused to listen."

"He still believes that one day they'll come sailing down here."

"There is no point in waiting anymore." Sanji said

"More than anything else, he is afraid of losing his reason to wait. His home is in the West Blue. There's no way home for him now. All he wished for was to continue being nakama with the men he followed here."

"What about you, weren't you betrayed by those pirates? It's not really your problem anymore." Sanji asked

"Look at those scars, if he kept ramming into the Red Line he would die. It may be a strange relationship but it has been fifty years. I am not going to sit back and watch him die."

Luffy got up and began running at Laboon. "Gomu Gomu no Gigant Pistol" Luffy said as he punched Laboon with a giant fist. They each exchanged a few blows before Luffy halted the fight.

"It's a draw." Luffy said standing up. "I'm pretty strong aren't I? You wanna beat me, don't you? Our battle isn't over. So we're going to have to fight again someday. Your nakama may be dead, but from now on I'm your rival! We'll fight again to decide who is stronger. We are going to sail around the world and one day we will come back here and we can finish our fight."

Laboon was happy to hear that he would have a reason to wait here and began crying a little. Luffy only cracked a smile. A while later Luffy had painted an ok version of the Straw Hats jolly roger on Laboon's head. It wasn't as nice as the one painted on the sail but it was a little better than the first one he painted.

"This is our promise, so until I get back don't go ramming your head against the Red Line."

Quickly changing the subject Luffy yelled "Sanji, MESHI."

"Hai, hai." Sanji said waving Luffy off and going to prepare the Elephant Tuna he won in the contest. A little while later they were going to sit down and eat.

"Crocus, why don't you join us for lunch?" Luffy said

Crocus just nodded and sat down at the table with the Straw hats. Luffy didn't devour the whole tuna like he did last time they were here.

"Where did those two strange people go?" Nami asked

"They won't be going too far without their log pose" Luffy said holding up the small glass compass. "I figure they must have dropped this while they were on board a little while ago."

"I'm sorry to ask Crocus, but do you have a log pose we can use. I am going to mess with them a little bit. I'll probably give this back to them." Luffy said

"What is a log pose Luffy and how do you know about it?" Nami asked

"I think I heard Shanks mention it a few times while he was drinking at the bar."

"How do you know Shanks?" Crocus asked surprised

"He spent the better part of a year using the island I grew up on as his base in the East Blue."

"I thought that Straw hat looked familiar, how did you end up with it?"

"Shanks gave it to me to hold on to when I was seven."

"How do you know Shanks?" Luffy asked

"Everyone has to pass through Reverse Mountain, it's impossible not to recognize the infamous Akagami Shanks."

"If they were alive and you could tell them something what would you say?" Luffy said changing the topic.

"That's a strange question Luffy." Nami said. But Zoro having regained his memories didn't think it was that strange. They knew that there was a sole surviving member of the Rumbar pirates out there on the sea.

"If I could say anything to them, huh, I would want to know what really happened to them. Why would they abandon Laboon, they were friends. It's not like it's possible but I would want to see even just one of them to catch up and find out how life has treated him."

Luffy only smiled at that answer. He thought of Brook. They never did make it around the world to see Laboon again. He promised himself that regardless of what happens this time he will make sure Brook makes it back here to see Laboon.

"What brought that up?" Crocus asked

"Oh, I was just curious. That's all." Luffy said smiling.

They had finished lunch and the two baroque works agents made their way back up the cliff where the straw hats had just had lunch. Crocus went into the light house and got them his spare log pose so they could use it on their trip.

"Oh, you two are back!" Luffy said faking his surprise.

"What do you want?" Zoro said

"Which one of you is the captain of this ship?" Vivi asked

"I am." Luffy said sitting on the table

"We were wondering if you could take us to Whiskey Peak."

"Why would we do that?" Zoro asked

"Please, our boat was destroyed and we don't have our log pose anymore. We are begging."

Everyone looked to Luffy for his answer.

"Sounds like as good a place as any to start our journey."

"You mean it?"

"Yeah, let's go to Whiskey Peak."

"Thank you." They said. They were both happy but reluctant to travel with them considering how easy it was to convince the captain to do something.

Crocus came back and handed them his log pose to use.

"Thank you Crocus" Nami said

"Take good care of it. It's fragile and your only life line. Without you would sail randomly through the Grand Line."

"I will take good care of it. I won't let these idiots even touch it." Nami said looking to the other members of her crew.

"Normal compasses don't work on the Grand Line. This pose stores the magnetic signature of the next island in the chain of islands you are following. Once you pick an island you have to follow the path all the way to the end."

"That's fine If we don't like it we can just sail around the world and try again." Luffy said

"That is optimistic of you."

"It might be but we are going to make it to the end of the Grand Line." Luffy said "Let's get ready to leave."

"Just who are you?" Vivi asked

"I'm the man who is going to be the King of the Pirates."

Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday just laughed a little at the ridiculous goal of the young pirate. An hour or so later the pirates and their "guests" were ready to leave.

"Thank you for the log pose Crocus. We will take good care of it." They lowered the sails and began sailing off. Crocus waved goodbye and Laboon said goodbye in his own way.

"Do you think they are the ones we have been waiting for Roger? That boy who wears your old straw hat reminds me of you."

A little while later the pirates were once again finally sailing on the Grand Line. Luffy was relaxing on the deck and he was watching their guests while the other four straw hats were in the kitchen talking.

Not wanting to screw around Zoro got right to the point. "I remember everything." Zoro said.

"What are you talking about?" Usopp asked

"I know everything that happens to us and now I understand the note that was in the bag Usopp showed us earlier."

"Would you tell us what it means?" Nami asked

"I don't think it's my place to tell you what happens. I will wait for you to regain your memories."

"What I will tell you is that in the future we all had our memories of events and knowledge of our skills transferred to objects that were important to us. It may very well have duplicated our personalities a little bit as well. But there is no doubting it those items were from our future.

"You know that makes sense as weird as it sounds." Sanji said. "Things have felt weird ever since that knife appeared in front of me. I just had no idea why it was happening." Sanji said

"Yeah, we found something that allowed us to transfer our memories to objects that were significant to us. But it's weird. I know all of the thing that will happen to us. I think I might know why I know of all the things that are going to happen to us."

"Well are you going to make us ask you stupid Marimo."

"You know, now that I remember everything that makes me want to hurt you even more."

"I hate to interrupt but Zoro what do you think unlocked your memories?" Usopp asked kind of scared of Zoro.

"Right, I was going to tell you. It was when I was in the sword shop that it happened. I was talking with Tashigi when she talked about my sword. She said its name Wado Ichimonji. And just like that I remembered everything. I don't know why it happened. I am not sure if what worked for me is what will work for you guys. However there is one thing I know we couldn't resist."

"What is that?" Nami asked rather curious.

"We wouldn't be able to resist watching our old adventures play themselves out."

"Are you saying that we are watching this from the future?" Sanji asked

Nami was kind of freaked out and embarrassed at this but at the same time she thought it was rather exciting. Her friends in the future had likely seen her kiss Luffy. Now that she knows they are watching maybe she will give them a show.

"Zoro" Nami said

"What else do you remember about the future versions of us?"

"What are you getting at?"

"I was just curious if you knew anything past your memories being transferred to your sword?"

"Nope, nothing else."

"Then how do you know that we are watching all of this from the future?"

"Well, I wouldn't turn up the idea of watching my past again, but from a different view."

"You mean Luffy's?"

"Yeah, that's right. I know all about what I experienced. This is really a very rare opportunity to see how our captain operates."

"Since our friends from the future are watching why not get their help. We know that they have a way to send us things so why not get an upper hand?" Nami said

"I did get all the supplies I guess the future me told me to get so I can build the garden for the Pop Greens" Usopp said "I don't see why we don't get all the weapons available to us. I mean we already have all of this information locked away inside our heads."

"I think we should get you guys your memories back first." Zoro said standing up and walking out the door and going over to talk to Luffy.

"Luffy could you knock these two out for a little while?" Zoro said quietly to Luffy

"Sure, not sure why you would want me to do that." Luffy used his haoshoku haki and knocked out Mr. 9 and Vivi.

"We know you guys are watching." Zoro said to no one in particular

**Back to the future Straw Hats watching through the portal**

"So they figured out that we are watching them." Sanji said

"Who can we send stuff to?" Usopp asked

"The only other two we can send items to are Nami and Chopper."

"Maybe Franky can send Usopp a how to on repairing ships." Sanji added

"It's not a bad idea but it is a difficult trade to learn." Franky said

"Yeah, I mean you have been teaching me but I still have a lot to learn."

"You know you your repairs only have to last until you get to Water Seven."

"We have gotten off track." Nami said

"What should we send them?" Usopp asked

"Chopper, what do you think you would want to have once you have your memories unlocked?" Nami asked "I would want some of my research and ingredients to make new rumble balls. Maybe not the research because once I remember everything I will have no problem modifying my transformation points. What about you Nami?"

"I have a few sorcery clima tacts now, I am sure I can spare one plus a few spare parts. I would also need to send her a dozen or so weather balls."

"Do you think we would be helping them too much by just giving them things that have taken years to perfect and master?" Zoro asked in between making out with Robin

"I think once they know all that we do it would be unfair not to give them some support." Usopp said

"I agree, while you got stronger over your two years apart you gained a lot more than just strength. With young Zoro having unlocked all of your memories he has the knowledge to do all of the things you have learned he just doesn't have the strength to actually cut a giant galleon in half for example." The ghost said "You all developed in different ways. By giving all of your memories to yourselves you are helping them but some of you actually need specific weapons to be the most effective in battle."

"That's true, we all fight differently. Not giving some of our crew the tools to be effective in battle is only hindering our growth." Robin said

"I have to agree with Robin-chan." Sanji said. "Not having access to weapons doesn't hinder me, Luffy or Robin-chan. It does hinder Usopp and Nami-san. They use weapons but rely on their wit to take out enemies."

"So, giving them our weapons isn't a bad idea." Nami said

"No, it will help them considerably. So now that that is settled you and Chopper go get the stuff you would want to send to yourselves in the past." The ghost said

Nami and Chopper went to the Thousand Sunny to get all of the supplies to make up the care packages to themselves. After around an hour and a half or so the two made it back.

"All set." Nami and Chopper said in unison.

"You know something is bothering me, why did the marimo get his memories when he talked to Tashigi?" Sanji asked

"I guess that since Tashigi knew something about the item that was precious to Zoro it unlocked the latent memories." The ghost said

"Well we are screwed then." Sanji said "Marimo doesn't know about the items that are precious to us."

"That's where you would be wrong dartboard brow." Zoro said "When I am sleeping I am always aware of everything that is going on."

"No, no you're not listening." Nami said agitated "Once you are asleep it is so hard to wake you up. You've slept through severe storms before."

"Ok then, quiz me."

"Let me check Zoro's temperature, he must have a fever." Chopper said scrambling to find a thermometer.

"I'm fine, but thanks Chopper."

"Alright, what is important to Robin-chan?" Sanji asked

"Oh, this could cause trouble Sanji-kun." Nami said

"Her mother's journal." Zoro said nonchalantly

"Well Robin-san" Brook asked

"He's right."

"Before you ask for anyone else in particular, Nami's sister gave her the gold braclet on her wrist. Usopp's old man gave him his first slingshot. Zeff gave you the knife you use all the time. Dr. Hiriluk gave Chopper his pink hat. Franky has his favorite sunglasses and Brook has violin he has had for a long time."

They all just stood there very shocked, their jaws had just about hit the floor.

"Very impressive." Robin said kissing Zoro on the lips yet again.

"I may sleep a lot but I am always on alert and I am always paying attention."

"I don't know what to say to that. Should we be flattered or creeped out?" Sanji asked

"I am amazed to say the least." Franky said

"So that aside I think they will be ok especially if another of them unlocks our memories." Nami said "So now that is taken care of can you send these back to our past selves?"

"I will send Nami's bag to the Merry. Chopper do you want yours sent to Drum Island?"

"Send it to the Merry with Nami's." Chopper said "It won't be long before I join the crew again so it will be fine there."

The ghost nodded and opened up a portal to the Going Merry. Both bags were placed in storage with all of their other food and equipment.

**Response to Reviews**

**medicaldolphin8: I will, and am working on more. **

**Demon-Slasher: I plan on changing some stuff. Right now I am not exactly sure what that might be. Let's leave it at, they won't exactly be OHKO's.**

**XxAkatsukiFanxX: I hope you enjoyed this and enjoy the next chapter. **

**Chrisfragger: I thought it would be fun to write. More to come. Maybe soonish. **

**kentucky fan: Thanks, and I will. **

**FreshNerd: That may be so but, I can write whatever I want. **

**Tsukino Aisuru: Hopefully I can stick to updating every weekend. **

**midnightscar17: Just wait and see, I hope everyone will enjoy what's coming soonish. **

**Illium Caderyn: I thought it would be an interesting comparison.**

**gamelover41592: Thank you, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter.**


	15. Whiskey Peak

The Baroque works agents spent an hour asleep on the deck of the Merry.

"What happened to us?" Mr. 9 asked

"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked feigning ignorance "Nothing happened, you both just fell asleep."

"Fine, whatever don't tell us what happened!" said an agitated Mr. 9.

"How long were we asleep?" Miss Wednesday asked

"An hour." Luffy said walking over to the two strange people.

Over the course of the next day or so they sailed towards Whiskey Peak. They encountered all sorts of weather. At one point while they were sailing it was a nice sunny day the next moment it was cloudy and began snowing. While it was snowing Luffy and Usopp were playing in the snow and they both made snowmen. Well to be fair Luffy made a regular snow man and Usopp made Kaya the snow queen.

"Sanji" Luffy yelled over to Sanji who was shoveling snow off the deck of the Merry. "Can you make us some hot chocolate?"

"Why the hell would I do that for you?" Sanji replied irritated

"Fine then, how about you make hot chocolate for Nami and our blue haired guest I am sure they are cold." After hearing that Sanji went into love cook mode and began noddeling his way towards the kitchen.

"You really know how to get Sanji to do whatever you want don't you?" Usopp said

"Of course, you just have to say it's for a pretty girl. He will always make enough for the crew he just doesn't like making things for the male members of the crew."

"Oh ho, so Luffy let me ask you a question."

"What's up Usopp?"

"Do you think Nami is pretty?" Usopp asked

Luffy blushed a little thinking about the navigator. He recalled how much he couldn't stop thinking about her while he was training for ten years. Of course he thought about the other members of the crew as well. But when he thought about Nami he always felt a little bit different. For a while he couldn't understand what he felt for Nami. But as he got older Ace explained to him what he was feeling. At first Ace couldn't believe his little brother would be able to understand the complex feelings of love. And he was right, for a while he didn't understand. But the two of them had plenty of time to talk and with some help from Makino, they were able to get it through his rubber head.

"Yeah, I think Nami is pretty."

Usopp couldn't believe what he heard and at the same time he felt like it was about damn time that one of those two were finally able to express how they felt even if it was just a little bit.

"We should go in, hopefully by now Sanji has at least started the hot chocolate." Luffy said

"Sounds good to me it's cold out here." Usopp said

Luffy and Usopp made their way up the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Good timing you two, I just finished preparing hot cocoa for the ladies. You guys can have what's left." Sanji said pointing to two full glasses.

"Thank you." Luffy said, Sanji just waved him off. He was too busy staring at the pretty girls enjoying their warm drink.

"We still heading for Whiskey Peak Nami?" Luffy asked waiting for his drink to cool down a little.

"Of course we are" Nami said glancing at the log pose then holding it up for the crew to see. Nami's gold braclet clanked against the log pose and caught Luffy's attention.

"Nami, didn't your sister Nojiko give you that gold bracelet?" Luffy asked

"Yeah she did, but what made you ask that?"

All of the sudden something unlocked inside Nami's head, all of her latent memories and knowledge came flooding out. Soon all she could think about was giving Vivi a big hug. It had technically been years since she had seen her friend even though she really hadn't gotten to know her yet. There was also an overwhelming feeling to grab Luffy and smack him around for what he had done without telling anyone. She also wanted to grab Luffy, get naked, go to town on and do dirty things with him. But for now she resisted as she saw a large bolt of lightning and heard a loud long boom of thunder all while it continued to snow.

"Nami…Nami..." Luffy said snapping his fingers trying to get her attention.

"Sorry, zoned out there for a second." She said looking out the window. "Everyone outside now we have some crazy weather to deal with." All the pirates in the room got up and made their way outside to the deck of the ship. "You two have to help you're not guests on our ship." She said in her best mock irritated voice. She literally kicked Mr. 9 and Vivi out of the cabin.

Over the course of the next few hours they dealt with all sorts of crazy weather. It was nothing she couldn't handle with her older selves knowledge. They made their way through the insane shifts in weather that the Grand Line is famous for. Sanji stepped away to make them snacks to keep their strength up. Every so often someone would step away from the task Nami had assigned them to grab something to eat. Eventually the weather cleared and when the sun was finally shining they all fell down on the deck completely exhausted.

While on the deck resting Nami was reflecting on all of the new memories and information flowing through her head. She couldn't understand why in the two years they were together not counting the time they were apart she didn't make a move on Luffy. He was always the one she would look to for protection when something went sideways. She had always felt a deeper connection to him than she did the other male members of the crew. She couldn't understand why she didn't force him to learn about sex and how to please a woman. But then she realized something about Luffy. He always had his sight set on one prize. And that was making it to the end of the New World, finding Raftel, the one piece and becoming the King of the Pirates. This time around they already knew where Raftel was and how to get there. They just had to go through years of training and traveling to get there. There is no reason why they couldn't enjoy themselves a little more this time. As far as Nami could tell Luffy may very well have been stronger now than when they made it to Raftel the first time.

In the meantime Zoro had woken up from one of his famous naps and was now lecturing the people who had made it possible for him to sleep through the various storms. Everyone was annoyed with Zoro. How could he possibly sleep through such drastic shifts in weather. They all stood up and headed for the kitchen to get some more food.

"Zoro" Nami said agitated, grabbed Zoro by the ear and dragged him to the storage room where they held their impromptu sans captain meetings.

"I can remember all of our adventures." Nami said "It almost feels like my body was taken over by an older more knowledgeable version of myself."

"I know what you mean, it's real weird. I have all of these memories of places we are nowhere near and people we haven't met yet. I also know all about my training in both kenjutsu and Haki. It really is weird when you think about it. My personality is the same as it would have been when we first started traveling together but I am a much more wise younger version of myself."

"It's pretty weird when you say it like that." Nami said

"I know it is." Zoro said scratching the back of his neck.

"So now that you remember I am not the only one responsible for helping the others regain their memories." Zoro said excited at not being the sole one responsible for letting the memory flood gates open.

"It's interesting how Luffy inadvertently triggered my memories being released to me by asking a rather harmless question." Nami said.

"Yeah it is." Zoro said sarcastically, with an expression to match

"What's with the face?" Nami asked

"I know how you feel about Luffy so when you finally go do the nasty promise you won't do it everywhere on the ship." Zoro said cracking a devilish grin.

"Fine." Nami said cracking an equally devilish grin. "But I know how you feel about Robin, so promise when she gets her memories you two will try to restrict where you do it." Nami said still smiling very mischievously.

"Agreed" both said shaking on the pact that they made to keep their sexual escapades to only a few select locations on the ship.

With that they both went back outside. By now they realized that their guests were gone and they were coming up on their first island of the Grand Line.

"Looks like we made it to Whiskey Peak." Nami said excited

"Yeah, but what is with this place? Are those giant cactuses?" Usopp asked

The other four pirates just shrugged it off. They continued sailing closer to the island. The closer they got the better they could see that the island was essentially split in two with the ocean running through the center.

"I wonder, what we are going to find on this island?" Sanji asked no one in particular.

Luffy, Zoro and Nami were well aware of what was going to happen on this island. But they weren't going to tell Usopp and Sanji what was about to happen. It would be for the best if Usopp and Sanji stayed out of this just like last time. Sanji was very useful as Mr. Prince.

As they made their way down the center of the island they could see shadows moving around on the shore. Soon the fog lifted and the Straw Hats were greeted with people shouting "Welcome to the Grand Line"&amp; "Welcome to Whiskey Peak."

"There's so many cute girls." Sanji said with hearts in his eyes.

The straw hats sailed to port and docked their ship along a straight stretch of land. The five of them got off the ship and were greeted by the townspeople of Whiskey Peak.

"Mah-mah-maaah! Welcome, my name is Igarappoi I am the mayor of Whiskey Peak."

"I'm Luffy, nice to meet ya."

"This town is known for making alcohol as well as lively music. We take pride in our hospitality. Would you care to celebrate with us and share stories of your adventures? We would Mah-mah-maaah! We would be delighted to hear them. "

"Of course" Luffy, Usopp and Sanji said, they began dancing around like idiots.

"How long will it take for the log pose to point to the next island?" Nami asked

"Don't worry about that for now. Take a well-deserved rest from your travels. Now everyone prepare a feast to celebrate the arrival of our guests."

The party started soon after the sun began to set. It went on well into the night. The people started playing music and began drinking all the while having a grand old time. The chefs were cooking food for everyone but they were having a tough time keeping up with Luffy's appetite. Usopp began telling his tall tales to a table full of people. Sanji was hitting on all of the pretty girls he could. Zoro and Nami were relaxing when Igarappoi began telling them about the drink they produce on the island. Then came the part Nami enjoyed the most. There was a drinking contest and the prize was 100,000 beri. Nami and Zoro joined in on the fun. Soon enough both of them had reached their limit. Zoro passed out after his 13th drink. Nami passed out soon enough after her 15th. But not befrore she managed to win the contest beating out the nun. Not long after that the other three pirates were asleep. Soon the celebration had ended and the room cleared out.

Outside Mr. 8, Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 were talking. When Miss Monday walked out still dressed as a nun.

"Honestly, I didn't think they would ever quit. We added more alcohol to their drinks. If we didn't they would still have been going crazy in there." Miss Monday said getting rid of her disguise. "Did we really have to put on that big a party for five kids? We were low enough on supplies to begin with, but now we are really in trouble."

"We won't have to worry about our supplies once we turn over their captain to the Marines. Here take a look at this." Mr. 8 said pulling out and unrolling Luffy's wanted poster.

"30,000,000 beri!" Mr. 9, Miss Wednesday and Miss Monday said they were all shocked to see that they were worth so much.

"It's foolish to judge a pirate's abilities by their appearance alone, Miss Mo… Mah-mah-maaah! Miss Monday. Now that we have taken care of them we can send the boss our report. We can also go and take all the valuables on their boat." Igarappoi said

"So what do we do about them?" Miss Monday asked

"The government likes to hold public executions. If we killed them we would lose 30% of the total bounty. So, go capture them alive!" Igarappoi said

"Hey… Sorry to interrupt but do you think you could keep my friends out of this? They're tired from our trip today." Zoro said. Igarappoi looked up and was shocked and annoyed to see that the swordsman was awake.

One of the lackeys came out of the building holding a shot gun and reported to Mr. 8. "The one wearing the haramaki escaped."

"He's up there!" Miss Wednedsay said looking in Zoro's general direction. Soon after many more bounty hunters made their way outside to deal with the lone swordsman.

"You should have been unconscious!"

"Yeah, about that. A swordsman never lets his guard down, especially to a town that welcomes pirates. It was sketchy from the beginning. So let me see if I got this right. You are all bounty hunters. You trick pirates who have just made it to the Grand Line and rob them of all their valuables."

The numbered agents were annoyed that this no name pirate had learned of their plans.

"There's about 100 of you down there. I'll take you all on Baroque Works!"

"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME?" Igarrapoi yelled shocked

"A while back when I was in the same business, your organization sent a scout to convince me to join. I refused of course. The members know nothing about each other and you all go by code names. The boss' location and identity are unknown even to the members. You are all perfect little puppets doing whatever you are told without any questions asked."

"Well this is surprising. Since you know our little secret we have no choice but to eliminate you. And add another gravestone to the Cactus Rocks."

"KILL HIM" Mr. 8 said. He looked up to see that Zoro had disappeared.

Zoro reappeared in the middle of the crowd of bounty hunters. He joined them in looking up for the missing swordsman. That was when Mr. 8 turned around and noticed that Zoro wasn't standing more than twenty feet away from him. The others caught on and soon began attacking Zoro. He easily avoided the first barrage of attacks that came from people pointing guns at him. They aimed at him from all around him. They fired and missed Zoro. Most of them were hit with a bullet that came from someone opposite them. 18 people were knocked out in that one moment.

Zoro began attacking people as they came after him. He was wandering around town randomly. It didn't matter which direction he went, there were bounty hunters ready to attack him. If they weren't where he stumbled into they weren't far behind. Zoro effortlessly knocked the hunters as they came after him. He cut a large hole in the roof of a house and walk away. He would watch as people stood on the spot he had just cut for a comically long time just to have them fall down into the house below. He would make it to the roof of a house and he would knock over the ladder while hunters were still climbing it.

Miss Monday had caught up with him and managed to hit him and knock him to the ground. 'I need some practice, my haki is really sloppy. I should have been able to avoid that easily.' Zoro thought as he was lying down on the roof of the house. He was soon standing and got into a contest of strength with the large woman.

"There isn't a man alive who is stronger than me." She said confident in her strength "We will see about that." He said smirking. Soon Miss Monday was screaming in pain on her knees. Zoro was easily stronger than her. He had his hand around her head. Thumb and little finger on the respective temple. He was causing her a lot of pain. He wasn't letting go. She was grabbing onto his arm, trying to get him to let go. But soon she passed out and her arms fell to her sides and Zoro let go, she fell face first onto the roof.

"Miss Monday lost." Mr. 9 said shocked. Soon he was taking on Mr. 9, a simple trick later Mr. 9 flipped himself right off of the roof and landed on a wood awning.

Inside Nami had woken up and didn't even bother looking for any valuables. She didn't find anything worth stealing the first time. This time wasn't going to be any better. She went to wake up Luffy who was still huge from all the food he ate. One punch to the head woke him.

"What's going on Nami?" Luffy asked.

"You should know very well what's going on outside right now." Nami said annoyed. "Is there anything you can do about that?" Nami asked pointing to Luffy's huge extended stomach. Luffy Gomu Gomued his way back down to his regular size.

"Give me one second." Luffy said looking around.

"What are you looking for?" Nami asked.

"Bathroom"

"Just go outside and pee it the river." Nami said

"Fine" Luffy said and he walked out the door and went to take a leak in the river. After taking care of business Luffy walked back to the building where Nami was.

"So what's next?" Luffy asked

"Next we go outside and find Zoro." Nami said

"What about them?" Luffy asked pointing to Usopp and Sanji who were still out cold.

"Let them sleep." Nami said. She and Luffy walked out the door and were greeted by Zoro and Mr. 8, Miss Wednesday and Carue. Mr. 8 was lying on the ground. Zoro had beaten him rather easily as well.

"Luffy, Nami. You're both up, that's a surprise." Zoro said with a mischievous smile.

Nami walked over and punched Zoro who had been sitting on a crate for a little while now.

"Why did you do that?" Zoro asked

"Felt like it." Nami said annoyed rubbing her fist

"Alright, tell them what you told me." Zoro said rubbing the bump on his head.

"My name is Igarama, I am the Captain of the Alabasta Royal Guard. And this is Neferatri Vivi, the princess of our kingdom."

"Princess." Nami said acting surprised. "Wow, I've never met a real princess before."

"I told your swordsman friend here that I was hoping you would be able to do me and the entire kingdom of Alabasta a great service and take our Princess home."

"What are you two doing here to begin with?" Luffy asked already knowing the answer.

"We infiltrated Baroque Works to find out identity of the leader of the organization. There is a large conflict growing in our country and we believe Baroque Works is behind all of it." Igaram was going to continue but they were interrupted by Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine.

"It looks like our job is already half complete, doesn't it?" Mr. 5 said

"Yes, Mr. 5. We should have no problem dealing with the spies now."

"Our boss sent us here to deal with the people who infiltrated Baroque Works." Mr. 5 said 'Someone found out my secret.' "That was all we were given to go on."

"We investigated to find out who could have found out our boss's secret and discovered two important officials were missing from a certain kingdom." Miss Valentine said

"One question." Luffy said

"What do you want kid?" Miss Valentine asked

"You don't know what secret your boss is talking about?"

"No, no we don't."

"So you are here to finish off two people just because they found out a secret? That's stupid."

"Those are the rules." Mr. 5 said

"Well, they just told us the secret. What are you going to do?" Luffy said pointing to Vivi and Igaram.

"That's obvious, we have to kill you three as well." Miss Valentine said

"Zoro, care to help?"

"Sure, what the hell." Zoro said scratching the back of his head.

"Which one do you want Zoro?"

"Doesn't matter to me."

Mr. 5 picked his nose, got a booger bomb ready and sent it flying towards Luffy and company. Miss Valentine decreased her weight and the shockwave from the explosion sent her flying into the sky. She rode the wave until she was above Igaram. She increased her weight until she was falling straight down.

"Ichiman kilo press." She said as she connected with the ground.

Luffy had already moved Igaram, Vivi and Carue just far enough to be away from the action. The fight itself was rather dull and one sided. Luffy easily sent Miss Valentine flying into a building while Zoro almost as effortlessly sent Mr. 5 into a building in the opposite direction.

"That wasn't even a challenge." Zoro said

"Yeah, no fun at all." Luffy said

Igaram, Vivi and Carue went back to see what was happening in the fight. They were beyond surprised to see Luffy, Zoro and Nami sitting on the roof of one of the houses nearby.

"What happened here?" Igaram asked.

"We kicked their asses." Luffy said cracking his usual large smile.

"Vivi will be safe with us, you have nothing to worry about they can handle a lot worse." Nami said very reassuringly towards Igaram.

"Vivi-sama I have a plan to keep Baroque Works off your trail." Igaram walked off to get changed and set his plan into motion.

"Vivi, come up here so we can talk." Nami said pointing to a nearby ladder. Vivi made her way up the ladder and the four of them got comfortable so they could talk about their next move. Carue sat at the bottom of the ladder.

"So what was this secret?" Luffy asked pretending not to know.

"We found out the name of the boss of Baroque Works, we also learned what his real goal was."

"So who is it?" Nami asked

"No, I will not tell you and get you anymore involved in this."

"Hate to break it to you but they already want us dead, so what would it hurt to find out the name of the person we are going to be fighting."

Vivi sat there for a moment thinking about what Zoro had just said.

"You're right, you can't get into any more trouble than you are already in." Vivi said

"You have nothing to worry about, we will take you home regardless of who it is we have to fight." Luffy said

"How can you be so sure? You have to be ready to fight Crocodile, he's one of the Oka Shichibukai."

"Who's that?" Nami asked trying to show a little fear. 'The Shichibukai are dangerous but after facing off against the crews of the Yonko they don't pose that great a threat.' Nami thought

"He is the one behind Baroque Works. He wants to take over Alabasta and he is willing to sacrifice millions of innocent people just to get his way!" Vivi said.

That made Luffy cringe. He won't let Crocodiles plan succeed. While the four of them were talking the unluckies had shown up.

"Oh no, we are in trouble now!" Vivi said

"Why is that?" Luffy asked. Soon he got his answer. The otter took out three pages from its sketch book and showed them to the three pirates.

"Those are really good." Luffy said just laughing it off. The otter and the condor flew off into the night with the drawings.

"Why didn't you do anything to stop them?" Vivi asked, baffled that they would just let them fly away.

"That's the only advantage he is going to have." Luffy said

"What do you mean?" Vivi said looking to Luffy. "What does he mean?" Vivi said looking to Zoro and Nami. The two of them just shrugged it off and let it go.

By now Igaram was walking back toward Luffy and company. He had changed his clothes to match those worn by the princess. He looked hilarious in his new outfit. Luffy and Zoro did their best to hold back their laughter. Nami and Vivi were just mortified. 'How would anyone be fooled by this disguise?' They all thought, but no one said a word. Under his arms he was carrying three unrealistic looking dummies. The four made their way down from the roof to the ground and began walking towards the ship Igaram would be using to distract Baroque Works.

"Vivi-sama could I please have the eternal pose?" Vivi reached into her coat pocket, took out the pose and handed it to Igaram.

"What is an eternal pose?" Nami asked, still pretending not to know anything about that was going on.

"It is like a log pose but instead of pointing to the next island in the chain it will forever only point to one island." Igaram said. "Vivi-sama I will sail directly to Alabasta, you follow the log pose and island hop. It should only be two or three islands in between here and Alabasta." Vivi nodded, agreeing to the idea.

"Be safe on your journey, we don't know who else Baroque Works has already sent after us." Igaram said "You as well." Vivi said. They shook hands and after that he climbed up onto the boat. It wasn't long before Igaram set sail and made it a good distance out onto the water. Then there was an explosion. It was enormous and the shockwave that followed shook the shore and all of the buildings nearby. They stood their shocked at the sheer scale of the explosion. How anyone survived the first time was a mystery. But this time Luffy would be able to tell if Igaram made out ok. He used his Kenbunshoku Haki and scanned the waters for signs of life and was happy to sense Igaram among the wreckage. He was glad to find out he would be ok, again.

"He was a good man." Luffy said before he started to run.

"Let's go." Zoro said looking to Nami and Vivi.

"It's going to be alright, we are going to make them pay." Nami said pulling Vivi into a big hug.

"But now isn't the time to mourn. Now we need to get you out of here." Nami said putting her hands on Vivi's shoulders and looking right into her eyes. Nami took Vivi by the hand and they began running to the Merry. In the meantime Luffy had already made it to where Usopp and Sanji were still sleeping. He grabbed Usopp by the nose, Sanji by the leg and began running to the Merry as fast as he could. Zoro made it to the Merry with little problem which was a surprise. He was getting the ship ready to leave when Nami, Vivi, Luffy, Usopp and Sanji got there.

"Where's Carue?" Vivi asked looking for her friend and pet duck.

"This him?" Zoro asked pointing to an incredibly large duck. "He was here before me."

They all got aboard the ship and they began to set sail. Usopp and Sanji were now fully aware that they were leaving what they believed to be a magical haven for pirates. They were complaining to Nami but she just wasn't having any of it. So she punched them like she always did whenever someone annoyed her.

"You explain to them what's going on?" Zoro asked smirking up at Nami

"Yeah, I skipped the complicated parts." Nami said rubbing her fist and smiling evilly.

"It's a good thing we managed to escape from whoever was chasing us." Said a voice from behind the crew, three people recognized the voice as being that of an old friend. They just smiled at the thought of seeing Robin again. Zoro knew all about Robin and could easily make her remember her time as a Straw Hat. That would change everything and it would be good to have someone on the inside of Baroque Works.

"What are you doing here Miss All Sunday?" Vivi said surprised

"Who is her partner?" Nami asked just playing along at this point

"Her partner is Mr. 0, the boss of Baroque Works." Vivi said

"You know Miss Wednesday I saw Mr. 8 not too long ago." Miss All Sunday said

"You killed Igaram!" Vivi said pissed off

"What are you doing on my ship?" Luffy asked

"I am just enjoying myself for a little while before I head back."

"Just what exactly are your intentions?" Vivi asked trying to get anything out of her.

"Who knows?"

"You were just so serious about finding out Mr. 0's identity, I had to cooperate. A princess who thinks she can make enemies of Baroque Works and save her country. It's so ridiculous."

"YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Vivi yelled very annoyed.

Hearing this Sanji and Usopp had gotten up and made their way over to the railing and were now standing on either side of Miss All Sunday. They were both ready to attack their uninvited guest.

"Oi, Sanji. Any idea what's going on?"

"No idea at all. But it seems the lovely Miss Wednesday is in danger."

"Would you mind not pointing such dangerous things at me?" Robin said sprouting arms around the ship, disarming Sanji and Usopp. She tossed them over the railing and onto the deck below.

"Not a good idea." Luffy said releasing a blast of Haoshoku Haki. It wasn't enough to knock any one out. It was just a means to intimidate.

"Well that was a surprise." Miss All Sunday said

All of the sudden Luffy disappeared and reappeared right next to Robin.

"You're very fast, aren't you?"

'What are you doing working with Crocodile? Nico Robin' Luffy said whispering to Robin.

"How do you?" Robin said surprised.

"You should join us, I think we would be great friends." Luffy said

"You know, something tells me you are right. But for now you I think I will take my leave."

"Here" Robin said tossing Vivi an Eternal Pose to Nanimonai shima. "If you were to follow the Log Pose you would end up going to an island called Little Garden."

While Luffy and Robin were talking, Nami walked up the stairs and walked towards Robin.

"Thank you, but you don't get to choose the course this ship takes." Luffy said jumping over the railing and onto the deck below.

Nami made her way over to and stood next to Robin whispering into her ear. 'Have you read your mother's journal recently?' Miss All Sunday's eyes grew wide when she heard that. Suddenly all of her memories came flooding back to her. Robin turned her head and whispered something to Nami. 'I remember everything.'

'I was hoping you would. And as much as would I love to have you join us right now, Luffy doesn't know what's going on with the rest of us.'

'He is kind of clueless, I want to join you now as well. But I have something to take care of.'

'Just be careful. We will be waiting for you when we are done in Alabasta.' Nami said

At the same time Vivi and Luffy were talking. "This course could be safer." Vivi said to Luffy who was now right next to her.

"Yeah, or it could be a trap." Zoro said

Zoro glanced up to Nami who was now walking back towards the stairs.

"Well, it's your choice." Robin said turning and hopping off the railing, she walked to the side of the ship and jumped over onto the back of a large turtle. "I hope to see you again soon."

"Let's go Banchi" Robin said sitting down on the turtles back. The turtle began swimming away and soon was out of sight. Once she was out of sight she began processing all of the memories that were going through here head.

"Well that was weird." Usopp said

"Did you see her? She's beautiful." Sanji said with hearts in his eyes.

Zoro didn't say anything to Sanji but he was clearly annoyed by the cook's attitude. But considering how he didn't have his memories he would let it go.

"What did you say to her that surprised her so much?" Vivi said

"I don't know why she was so surprised, I didn't say anything worth being shocked over." Luffy said

"Nami, we're not going to follow the pose she gave us. We are heading to Little Garden."

**Back to the future Straw Hats watching through the portal**

"I didn't think Luffy would've been able to unlock anyone's latent memories." Franky said

"It is Nami." Robin said "It seems like Luffy was paying attention when they went to Nami's hometown."

"Zoro" Robin said annoyed.

Zoro hesitated but finally said something. "Yeah." Zoro doesn't normally get nervous but this was getting him nervous.

"What did you say to Nami when you two went into the storage room?"

"I have no idea what the younger me said."

"Don't get upset with Zoro. I bet it has to do with Luffy and I doing something that requires getting naked." Nami said

At that thought Brook, Franky, Usopp all got nose bleeds. But you can't forget the king of the perverts Sanji. He got a nose bleed that was surprisingly tame.

"I'm surpised Sanji didn't get launched into the sky like after the two years we were apart." Usopp said

"That nose bleed nearly killed him a few times." Chopper said

Sanji wasn't able to say anything. He was off by himself. On the outside he was sulking, on the inside he was thinking about the girl he left behind who was truly the love of his life which was crazy to think about for someone like Sanji.

"Seriously Sanji, what happened to you?" Franky asked

"You remember when we first met Mr. 2?" Sanji asked

"Yeah" Nami, Zoro, Usopp and Chopper said

"Well I was trapped on an island with no women. It was only guys who were dressed and acting like ladies." Sanji said

Many of the pirates began laughing but soon had to put their hands over their mouths to control their laughter.

"Sanji the playboy and ladies man was on an island with Okama for two years." Usopp said "That must have been awful."

"For me it was the worst kind of punishment imaginable." Sanji went over to Usopp and kicked his legs out from under him and made him fall on his ass.

"But look at what you learned there." Nami said

"Yeah I did learn a lot but it was my own personal hell." Sanji said sulking again.

* * *

Response to Reviews:

Johnny Spectre: Is that a little sarcasm?

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kushjay805: Glad you enjoyed the chapter. I hope to keep you interested.


	16. Little Garden

Two and a half days passed since Robin left. Luffy, Zoro and Vivi were sitting on the front deck of the ship just talking and relaxing.

"Can it still snow?" Luffy asked

"It can't snow." Zoro said still completely oblivious to the fact that he had managed to sleep through the same snow storm twice.

"Of course it can. The beginning of the Grand Line is by far the most unpredictable. The weather varies depending on what kind of island you are near, granted. But having to choose from one of seven paths right from the start means the islands magnetic fields overlap. They overlap much more than anywhere else on the Grand Line which can lead to incredible shifts in the weather." Vivi said.

Luffy and Zoro were just sitting there with these dumbfounded expressions on their faces. They understood the weather of the Grand Line was unpredictable. But hearing that explanation left them more confused than they should be. Vivi was going to say something else to them but Sanji came out of the kitchen with a tray of green drinks.

"Come down and get them." Sanji said

Luffy and Zoro jumped over the railing and landed on the deck below and sat next to Usopp, Carue and Sanji. Sanji placed the tray of drinks on the deck. Luffy, Zoro and Usopp took their drinks while Sanji placed one in front of Carue. He had trouble negotiating the straw but with a little help from Sanji he managed to inhale his drink. This led to Sanji putting another in front of Carue only for him to inhale this one as well. He did this two more times. Carue fell over after having so many to drink. On the deck above Vivi was looking down at them. She was kind of furious how they were approaching the situation at hand. That was when Nami walked up next to her with two drinks, one for herself and the other for Vivi.

"Don't worry." Nami said leaning on the railing. "This is just how they act, they will be serious when they have to. So for now try to relax and enjoy yourself. We are going to be busy once we get to Alabasta."

"I don't know how you do it? How can you be so calm?" Vivi asked

"What do you mean?"

"How can you be so calm when our opponent is a Shichibukai?" Vivi asked. Nami was calm because comparing Crocodile to who they had to fight to reach the end of the New World just wasn't realistic. Crocodile was nowhere near as powerful as the Yonko. But of course she couldn't tell Vivi that so she came up with something plausible.

"I just believe that Luffy will be ready to fight when the time comes."

"You seem very sure of Luffy-san, is there something going on between the two of you?" Vivi asked. In turn Nami turned a little red, she took a big sip of her drink hoping that would cool her down a little bit.

"No, there is nothing between us." Nami said, but Vivi wasn't so sure. She let it go for now.

They continued on sailing for a few more hours until they finally saw their destination.

"There it is, Little Garden." Nami said pointing to the island that was still off in the distance.

Once they made their way to the island they sailed around looking at all of the huge plants that populated the island.

"Look over there." Zoro said pointing to the mouth of the river. They soon began sailing towards the entrance. They made their way up the river and soon were greeted by some of the wildlife on the island. Not long after they started sailing inland a large tiger walked out of the jungle. It fell down, covered in blood it looked dead.

"What would cause the tiger to just fall over and die?" Usopp asked freaking out.

Not long after they found as good a place as any to stop so Zoro dropped the anchor.

Luffy always thinking about his stomach yelled to Sanji. "SANJI, KAIZOKU BENTO."

"Sure, Sure" Sanji said heading to the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Nami asked

"On an adventure!" Luffy said excited about exploring the island

"Would you mind if I went with you?" Vivi asked

"Yeah, sounds good to me." Luffy said

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Nami asked

"Of course, I can't just sit here and wait for the log pose to point to the next island. Besides Carue will be with me." Carue freaked out at the idea of exploring the island.

"I'll make you a special bento!" Sanji said from the kitchen door.

"And a drink for Carue" Vivi added

A little while later Sanji came out of the kitchen with a lunch for Luffy, Vivi and a drink for Carue.

"Let's go" Luffy said. Luffy and Carue jumped over the side of the ship and they headed off into the jungle to explore.

"I'm going for a walk." Zoro said. Nami was cautious about Zoro walking around anywhere with his terrible sense of direction. But she knew he would be fine.

"Oi Zoro, we're out of food. If you see something that looks edible while you're exploring bring it back." Sanji said

Ready to get his rekindle his rivalry with the cook Zoro said something he knew would get the cooks blood boiling. "Right, I'll get something you couldn't bring back yourself."

"HOLD IT!" Sanji yelled "I heard that you bastard, you think you can bring back something bigger than I could?"

"Of course." Zoro said annoyed

"A hunting contest?" Sanji said standing on the railing of the ship. He jumped over the side and stood next to Zoro. "Whoever brings back the most meat wins!" Sanji said. They both walked off into the forest in different directions.

'Why do they all have to act like that?' Nami thought but she was snapped back to reality when Usopp asked her something.

"Nami, have you gotten your memories back yet?" Usopp asked

"Yeah, why?"

"There's something about this island."

"Do you want your memories back?"

"Yeah, I think I do. I want to know what it is about this island that has me so curious."

"Ok, didn't your dad give you your slingshot?"

"Really, that's what you have to do get our memories back?" Usopp said

"I know, but it works. It's still weird though." Nami said just shrugging it off.

Soon all of Usopp's latent memories came flooding back to him.

"Wow that really does work." Usopp said. "I remember everything. Now I know what it was about this island that had me so freaked out."

"Yeah, that fool Mr. 5 is going to put explosives into some of our alcohol." Nami said

"Let's go down into the store room and look around. Who knows maybe you got a care package from the future." Usopp said

Usopp and Nami went down into the store room and after a little looking they found two bags. One bag had stuff for Nami while the other one had stuff for Chopper. They didn't touch Chopper's bag. Nami looked into her bag and found plenty of cool toys.

"Usopp, do you have enough wood to make two gardens?"

"I think I should have enough for two." Usopp said

"Good, I am going to need one to grow my weather balls."

Looking through the bag Nami found a guide similar to Usopp's which she wasn't going to need. She also found a note in her bag. She unfolded the note and began reading it to herself. Nami's mood changed rather quickly. She was a little caught off guard by what she was reading.

"Are you alright Nami?" Usopp asked

"Yeah, I'm fine. You know now that we both remember everything about our weapons and the stuff we have to grow we won't need theses guides anymore. We should burn them and the letters, we can't leave stuff like that just lying around." Nami said

'I really don't care about the stuff I just can't leave this letter lying around, I haven't even read the whole thing yet.' Nami thought 'But I can't just burn this it would be suspicious.'

"I completely agree." Usopp said

"I am going to drop this stuff off in my room and get back onto the deck." Nami said heading down the stairs to her room. Once in her room she put the bag of weapons in her closet. She took the note out, and read over the whole thing.

_To my past self,_

_I know this must be weird, reading a letter from a future version of yourself. But trust me it is just as weird if not weirder writing this. I don't think I have to write anything in this letter that you don't already know about the Sorcery Clima-tact. ._

_I am sure you know why I am writing this letter. Only recently have I been able to admit to myself the feelings I have for Luffy. He has done so much for me in the past, starting with defeating Arlong and destroying Arlong Park. I have no doubt that he will again put himself in harm's way to do all he can for the crew. Luffy cares about us and we are treated as equals in the crew. He doesn't abuse his position as Captain to make us to do what he wants that often. When he does it's because he wants to have fun and explore. He is so carefree but at the same time can be serious when he has to be. He brought us together and gave us a place to belong, yet he has never asked for anything in return._

_I really do love him and I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to realize it. I guess I didn't want to admit that I could've and already had fallen for such an idiot. But he is such a lovable idiot. That big goofy smile that even in the tensest of situations makes you feel at ease. I don't know why it took me so long to admit it to myself. _

_You have the opportunity I didn't have. You can make choices that are different from mine. Tell Luffy how you feel about him. This may or may not be a surprise but we have been watching from the future. I have seen the way he looks at you. I am certain he feels the same way about you. He had ten years to think about all the adventures he had and would have again. I am certain that we were always on his mind. Yet I think there may be a special place for me/ you in Luffy's heart. _

_Someday he will be King of the Pirates, I have faith that he will do it again. It's just a matter of time. Just make sure he enjoys more than the adventure this time. Take that as you wish. I am not going to ask you to do something you aren't ready for. But I do know that you are trying to make sense of the memories that were given to you. Take what I have learned about Luffy and put it to use. The adventure was so important to him the first time. But now that he knows all about what's going to happen, give him something else to look forward to. Be the wildcard in his life. Make life on the ship a little bit more interesting than it already is. _

_If that does mean sleeping with him, that is your choice. Regardless, you should be there for him. Eventually you guys are going to have to tell him about your memories. You can't leave him in the dark for too long. You also can't play ignorant for very long either. I am not exactly sure how Luffy will react. But if I had to guess he might be relieved, he won't have to hide anything from you guys and everyone will be able to act like you have been together for years. Because technically you have been. _

_Good luck,_

_Nami_

Once she finished reading it she folded it up, put in her desk and walked back outside. Nami got comfortable in her chair. She was opening a book getting ready to read when Usopp walked up to her.

"How did you get your memories back?" Usopp asked

"When Luffy asked about my bracelet they came back to me."

"You're telling me that Luffy triggered your memories coming back?"

"He did, and I don't think he's aware we have memories of our future."

Nami and Usopp continued talking but were interrupted when Brogy walked up to the Merry.

"Gababababababa! Do you have any alcohol, it's been so long since I've had a drink?"

"I think we do actually." Nami said

Brogy made this ridiculous face when a dinosaur bit him on the ass. Brogy grabbed his ax and in one motion chopped the tyrannosaurus's head off.

"I was going to ask if you're alright, but that doesn't seem necessary." Usopp said

"That was nothing to me." Brogy said

"I AM ELBAF'S MIGHTIEST WARRIOR BROGY!" He yelled. "Now that I have some meat, join me as my guests."

Instead of pretending to be dead or sleeping like last time they looked to each other then back to Brogy.

"We would be honored." Usopp said. They got off the ship and followed Brogy to his home.

Meanwhile Luffy and Vivi were wandering around the forest when they saw a half dozen Apatosaurus's eating the leaves from the tops of the trees.

"Look at the dinosaurs." Luffy said excited

"I can't believe we landed on a prehistoric island." Vivi said

That was when Luffy launched himself into up into the air and landed on top of one of the Apatosaurus's heads. Soon he was jumping from dino to dino. Vivi was freaking out yelling at Luffy telling him to be careful. He stopped before he was swallowed by the largest of the dinos. That was when Dorry cut the head and a long portion of the neck off of the dinosaur Luffy had been playing on. The dinosaurs head fell on the ground while Dorry caught Luffy in his hand.

"Gegyagyagyagya! I've been watching you swinging around here playing, what a lively little human you are. It's been so long since I've had a guest."

"Damn you're huge."

"I am Elbaf's Mightiest Warrior, Dorry!"

Vivi was surprised to see a giant. Carue had just about passed out being so terrified.

"A giant, I've never seen one. I've only heard about them in stories" Vivi said

"I'm Luffy, I'm a pirate. My friends Vivi and Carue are down there." Luffy said pointing to them on the ground.

"Why did you say that Luffy-san." Vivi said annoyed

"Let's go cook this up." Dorry said as he put Luffy down on the ground near his friends. He picked up the dinosaur and started walking back to his home.

"Let's go" Luffy said to Vivi and Carue. Luffy began following Dorry. Vivi and Carue looked ahead to Luffy, then at each other before they ran to catch up to Luffy.

Meanwhile Zoro and Sanji were off in different parts of the jungle looking for meat. They ran into various large dinosaurs along the way. Both were more than a match for the predators. They both took out the prey that they had stumbled upon. Each competitor began dragging their spoils back to the ship.

By now Nami, Usopp and Brogy made it to his home.

"Now let's get this dinosaur meat cooking." Brogy said

Sometime later the meat had finished cooking.

"Gababababababa! Let's eat." Brogy said putting an enormous piece of meat in front of Nami and Usopp. "Enjoy, dinosaur meat is tasty!"

"It does look good." Usopp said

"By the way Brogy-san, do you know how long it takes for a log to set on this island?" Nami asked

"One year."

Nami and Usopp both fell over after hearing how long they would have to be on the island. 'I can't believe I forgot something like that.' Nami thought

Meanwhile on another part of the island Luffy and Vivi were talking with Dorry.

"By the way, why are you on this island?" Luffy asked

"I'm here with another man. You see on our village of Elbaf we have laws. To settle a fight the two opponents must leave the village and accept the judgment of our God of Elbaf. I started a feud and to this day another man and I have used this island as our dueling ground. The rightful victor shall triumph and survive. Gegyagyagyagya! But it's been 100 years and we still haven't settled it!"

"You guys have been fighting for 100 years!?" Luffy said

"It's nothing to be surprised by, we live three times longer than you little pipsqueaks."

While walking through the jungle Zoro and Sanji ran into each other while taking their prey to the Merry. They began to argue over which dinosaur was bigger. Sanji's dinosaur had a longer tail and he argued there was no edible meat on Zoro's dinosaur. Neither would admit that they lost. Then the volcano in the center of the island erupted.

"When that volcano erupts again that will be the end of the contest." Sanji said

Both left their contenders and went for a second attempt to get a larger animal.

On another part of the island Luffy and Vivi heard the volcano erupt. Luffy knew what this meant but Vivi didn't.

"That's a huge eruption!" Luffy said

"Time to go." Dorry said standing up grabbing his sword.

Usopp and Nami were eating some of their dinosaur meat when they heard the eruption.

'It's time for Dorry and Brogy to fight.' Usopp thought to himself

"Sorry about this. I must be going." Brogy said. That's the signal for our next match in our 100 year long battle."

"Why are you fighting?" Nami asked

"I…can't remember." Brogy said scratching the back of his neck.

"What possible reason could they have to fight for 100 years?" Vivi asked

"It's about honor." Luffy said

Brogy began running towards his opponent of 100 years. When the two giants clashed a giant shockwave resonated from their weapons colliding with the others shield. The battle went on for a while. Neither side gaining any sort of advantage. While the two giants fought the landscape was changing drastically. Usopp and Luffy were watching the fight just as intently as they did the first time. Nami was a little more interested this time but she still thought it was pretty pointless. However she understood why Usopp would be so enthralled by the fight going on. The fighting went on for a little while longer until they both fell down after hitting each other in the face with their shields. Both were breathing heavy as they tried to catch their breath.

"73,466 battles" Brogy said

"73,466 draws" Dorry said

"Guess what, Dorry! I just got some alcohol from my two little guests!"

"I haven't had a drink in so long! Gimme some too!" Dorry said. Brogy got up and went back to his camp. Brogy soon returned with three barrels of alcohol for his rival. Dorry thanked him and went back to his camp where Luffy and Vivi were waiting.

"Gegyagyagyagya! So the two people with Brogy are your nakama. There's a guy with a long nose and a woman."

"That's Usopp and Nami. I'm surprised they got off the ship."

"So then I guess I got this from you as well."

"Dorry-san does it really take a whole year for the log to set?" Vivi asked

"Yes but most humans who land on this island die before their logs set. Some become dinosaur food, some succumb to the heat and others try to attack us, but they all die. It seems that spending a year on this island is too much for humans."

"It seems like that's true." Luffy said but he was thinking about the two years he spent on Rusukaina and the how crazy the climate was and the animals he had to deal with.

"If we have to wait a year who knows what will happen to my country in that time!" Vivi said holding her head in her hands.

"Don't worry Vivi, we will do everything in our power to get you home." Luffy said

"We have an Eternal Pose but it points to Elbaf and the winner of the battle will claim it." Dorry said. "You can try and take it from me."

"We don't want to go there." Luffy said

"If we lose our way to Alabasta there won't be any reason to continue." Vivi said

"Well then, why not set out and try to find the right way yourselves? If luck is with you, you'll make it."

"You could be right. We might just make it" Luffy was just laughing when he remembered something about the barrels of alcohol that Dorry was given. 'It couldn't possibly be rigged to blow again could it?' Luffy thought to himself.

Luffy and Dorry were joking around about someone leaving before their log was set. Vivi was getting more and more angry. Carue was laughing along until he saw how mad Vivi was getting.

'What's so funny?' Vivi said to herself. 'How can they think like that?' A vein in Vivi's head was becoming more visible as she got more annoyed.

Brogy was repairing his ax after his most recent battle. While he was doing that he was talking with Usopp.

"I want to be just like you someday!" Usopp said

"You want to be a giant?" Brogy said

"No, I want to be like a warriot of Elbaf, I want to live my life full of honor and pride!"

Brogy just smiled and started laughing. "Gababababababa! I see! That is a wonderful idea. Live your life to the fullest with no regrets. Since we live so much longer than you scrawny runts, we think carefully about how we want to die. After all, riches, material wealth, as well as one's life will all disappear someday. But to a Warrior of Elbaf, to die with your honor untarnished… that is a glorious way to die. In the land of Elbaf, that honor is a treasure that lasts forever."

Back with the other group. Dorry picked up a barrel of alcohol and broke the lid with his thumb.

"HOLD ON!" Luffy yelled before Dorry was able to take a drink from the barrel.

"Why would you stop me from drinking this little one!?" He asked

"I think it might have been booby trapped." Luffy said

"Booby trapped, but by who?" Vivi asked. "Why would you think that?"

"There are four more people on this island than there should be." Luffy said

Vivi and Dorry looked at each other then back to Luffy.

"How could you possibly know that?" Dorry asked Luffy

"Kenbunshoku Haki" Luffy said

Again they each looked at Luffy but this time with one eyebrow cocked, they were very confused to say the least.

"The two giants, the seven of us who were on the Merry and four other people as well as countless other dinosaurs. Four Baroque Works agents might have followed us here."

"You can't be serious." Vivi said. "I can't believe we were followed."

"I don't know what this Baroque Works you are talking about is. What surprises me more is that you can tell how many people are on the island." Dorry said

"Yeah, it's pretty cool isn't it? If I had to guess Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine followed us here. They likely want revenge for Whiskey Peak. I can't tell who the other two are." Luffy said. But he knew who they were he just couldn't say who was going to show up. They had only just recently made it to the Grand Line. He couldn't let slip more than they knew at the time. That would raise even more questions.

In Mr. 3's wax house four agents of Baroque Works were waiting for the two giants to fight each other and let the explosive that was in one of the barrels of alcohol take effect.

"We begin with our first target, Blue Ogre Dorry. I know full well that the explosive will not kill him. The explosion inside his stomach will have inflicted considerable damage. We need merely await their next duel. In the meantime we can enjoy our tea." Mr. 3 said

"So you're using one giant to take out the other…huh?" Mr. 5 said. "That's a fantastic idea."

Around the same time the volcano erupted for a second time since the straw hats had been on the island.

"It's time for another round." Dorry said

"I am going to take care of those idiots who tried to mess up your duel." Luffy said

Brogy heard the signal and got ready to go fight again. Not long after that the two giants clashed once again. They were more or less evenly matched just like earlier. Close by were the four Baroque Works agents. They were watching the fight from the jungle.

"Why doesn't Dorry look like he's hurt?" Mr. 3 asked "How did you screw this up?"

"Hey, I did just as you told me. I guess he didn't drink the alcohol, you can't blame me for him not drinking it." Mr. 5 said

As much as he wanted to argue there was really nothing he could do to get Dorry to actually drink the alcohol.

While the giants were fighting Nami and Usopp were heading to meet up with Luffy, Vivi and Carue when Nami stopped.

"Why are you stopping Nami?" Usopp asked

"You can't say anything to Luffy about this being different. Once Sanji has his memories we are going to talk to Luffy about what he did. You don't know anything more than what is going on right now." Nami said

"I won't say anything that will make Luffy question I know more than I am letting on." Usopp said

"Good" Nami said and they kept on walking to go and meet up with Luffy. They made their way through the jungle and found Luffy, Vivi and Carue just sitting there talking.

"Why aren't you guys watching Dorry and Brogy fight?" Usopp asked

"I think someone tried to hurt Dorry." Luffy said

"Who would have done that?" Nami asked

"Luffy seems to believe four agents from Baroque Works are here on the island. But we aren't sure why they would want to hurt Dorry-san." Vivi said

"WHAT BAROQUE WORKS IS HERE?" Usopp yelled

Meanwhile Zoro was walking through the jungle with another dinosaur when he walked into Nami or at least a facsimile of her. 'My Haki may not be as good as it was but it's good enough to know that's not Nami.' Zoro thought to himself. "That's not Nami and I know you're in the jungle over there." Zoro said as he took his prey and walked away.

Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek were surprised that anyone could spot a fake when their teamwork had fooled so many people in the past. "Let's follow him, he might lead us to our other targets." Mr. 3 said. They let Zoro get just far enough away before they began following him. Instead of going to the ship Zoro used his Kenbunshoku haki to vaguely guide him through the jungle until he met up with Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Vivi and Carue.

'This has changed quite a bit from the first time we were here. I thought that only stuff I had a hand in changing and people close to me would be affected. But here are Nami and Vivi. They were caught in a wax cake last time. Maybe the changes I have made here have a lot greater impact than I think they do. I will have to be more careful.' Luffy thought.

"Zoro, what are you doing here?" Luffy asked

"I guess I got lost walking back to the ship." Zoro said, he never liked that but this was as good a time as any to use it. It was as believable as anything else right now.

"What are you doing with that dinosaur?" Luffy asked

"The cook and I are competing to see who can bring back more meat." Zoro said

Luffy began drooling at the thought of dinosaur meat.

"What's going on here?" Zoro asked.

Before anyone could get a word in Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine walked out of the forest. "I will tell you what is going on." Mr. 5 said. "You have ruined our plans. Now we are going to have to settle for a 30 million beri bounty instead of a 200 million beri bounty."

Luffy was sitting on the ground leaning against the giant sea king skull with his arms behind his head. "Do you really think you can beat us?" Luffy said. Then they all looked at each other then back to Mr. 5. "What 200 million bounty?" All five asked.

"Don't tell me you didn't know both of those giants each have a bounty of a 100 million beri on their heads."

All six of them shook their heads side to side indicating that they had no idea what he was talking about. While Mr. 5 was talking to the pirates Miss Goldenweek and Mr. 3 were walking through the jungle. They wanted to sneak up on the pirates. The agents from Baroque Works were out-numbered so they would have to take advantage of the fact that their enemy didn't know how many of them were on the island. They needed all of the advantages they could get.

Luffy could sense Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek while Usopp, Nami and Zoro could only tell that people were in the jungle. Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine began running towards the pirates to attack them. While that was happening Mr. 3 used his Wax powers to try and capture anyone not agile enough to get out of the way. In doing so he was able to capture Usopp, Nami and Vivi.

"Well shit" Usopp said frustrated at himself for being caught.

"Well isn't that just great." Zoro said looking at his three friends on the ground.

"I need a little time to create my masterpiece." Mr. 3 said looking to his two higher numbered comrades. "Do whatever you have to do to get me as much time as you can." Mr. 3 didn't believe his comrades were going to be able to get him very much time so he had to hurry. The end of the 3 made out hair was ignited and the wax began to flow off of his arms and soon it began to take shape. In no time at all in the middle of the clearing stood a forty foot tall cake with four tiers. On top of the smallest tier was a bowl shaped section that was flat on top. Near the outer edge of the cake were a dozen candles.

In the same amount of time it took Mr. 3 to make a giant wax cake Luffy and Zoro had easily taken out Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine. Again.

"I knew they wouldn't be of much help."

"What is the cake for?" Luffy asked

"I am going to use it to create my greatest masterpiece and your friends are going to be a part of it." Mr. 3 said. He used his wax powers to set Usopp, Nami and Vivi into place on top of the first tier of the cake. Finally he lit the candles on top of the cake. As soon as the candles were lit the top started spinning. It started out slow and progressively picked up speed until it wouldn't go any faster. Not long after the top began spinning white wax flakes started raining down. Slowly Mr. 3's prisoners were building up a white film of wax on their skin.

"Can you get them out of there without hurting them?" Luffy asked Zoro.

"Shouldn't be a problem." Zoro said pulling out Wado. 'I can actually do something about it this time. Last time I couldn't do anything to free myself.' Zoro said to himself. "If you take the top off of the cake I will be able to cut them free."

"Shishishi!" Luffy only laughed. "Gear Second" Luffy said as his fists and forearms turned red as steam started flowing off of them. Luffy stretched his arms back to the edge of the jungle. "Gomu Gomu no Twin Jet Pistol." Luffy said as his arms shot forward and hit the cake. The top of the cake was launched from the fourth tier and sent flying.

Back where Dorry and Brogy were fighting. They both had stopped for a moment to catch their breath. As they were standing up to continue a white object zoomed right between them. They both turned their heads to watch the white object sail off for a ways past the island. Not too long after it sailed past the two giants it landed in the ocean creating a sizeable wave putting out the candles. The force of Luffy's attack combined with the impact of hitting the water shattered the wax bowl.

"How dare you do that to my masterpiece!" Mr. 3 said very clearly pissed off. It was just then that Mr. 3 felt a chill run down his spine. Luffy left him conscious but knocked out Miss Goldenweek.

"I'm not going to fight the little girl." Luffy said.

"Are you turning into Sanji?" Zoro asked

"Nope, it would just be better for us if we ended this quickly and I don't want to waste time figuring out how she fights." Luffy said

"How can we get out of this?" Vivi asked. "I have a plan." Usopp said with a smile. "Now that she is out cold it's up to Luffy, Zoro and Carue to save us." For a while now Usopp had been signaling for Carue to come closer to him. With Mr. 3 distracted and Miss Goldenweek out Carue made his way over to Usopp. Usopp had an incredible length of rope in his bag that was soaked in an accelerant so that it would burn. He dropped the rope in front of Carue.

"Carue take the rope and run around the cake!" Usopp said. Carue took one end in his mouth and started running. He ran around the around the bottom of the cake three times before he made his way up the cake and all around the other three layers of cake. A length of rope was left on the ground, Usopp took out his slingshot and got ready to fire. "Get ready you two, it's going to get hot." Usopp said

"What are you talking about?" Vivi asked. Usopp didn't answer before he said "Hissatsu Kaen Boshi." In a matter of seconds the rope had been lit. The fire began spreading up the rope and soon the whole cake was engulfed in a giant fireball.

Inside the fireball Nami and Vivi were yelling at Usopp. "You can be mad at me once we are out of here!" Usopp said. Soon the wax was melted enough for the three to get out. Usopp and Vivi got out ok. Nami had a little bit of trouble and stayed in the fire just a little bit longer than the other two. In the process of moving through the fire her shirt caught fire and unfortunately so did her bra. She was finally out of the fire but she was completely topless. She put her arms across her chest to prevent everyone from seeing her breast.

"Luffy, give me your vest." Nami yelled. Luffy looked over while he was avoiding attacks from Mr. 3 in his wax fight suit. Luffy blushed seeing the position Nami was in. But he quickly obliged, unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it over to Nami. She turned around, put the vest on, buttoned it up and turned back around.

"Gomu Gomu no Jet Gatling" Luffy said as steam started bellowing off of his arms. He began punching the chest of the wax suit. It didn't take long before the suit started to crack. Once the first crack appeared each consecutive hit caused it to spiderweb until the armor nearly broke apart. Luffy kept going for just a little longer. That was until Mr. 3, suit and all fell down face first on the ground. Zoro walked over to him, tilted his head up to see that he was unconscious. Zoro let go of his head and he let it hit the ground once again. With the battle over the five plus Carue regrouped and started talking.

"That was fun." Luffy said

"Now I have to know. I have seen you use that trick a few times now where you just knock people out. What is it?" Vivi asked

"It's called Haki." Luffy said. "Everyone is born with the potential to use two of the three varieties of Haki. I can use all three. Only around one out of a million can use it. Most people don't even know they have it. Between now and when we get to Alabasta I plan on teaching everyone the basics."

"Do you think I can learn it?" Vivi asked

"It's entirely possible" Luffy said

"So what now?" Zoro asked

"We have to find that idiot Sanji." Nami said

Luffy had been doing his best to avoid staring at Nami. If he looked at her his face would have been the same color as his shirt. It was a little tight but Nami filled out the shirt rather well. It really didn't leave a whole lot to the imagination.

"Usopp, let us know before you do something stupid like that!" Nami said agitated at him. She wasn't so annoyed at the fire so much as she was annoyed by the fact that she was topless coming out of the fire.

Dorry and Brogy's 73,467th battle ended in yet another draw. They made their way over to Dorry's camp site where the straw hats had been fighting Mr. 3 and his accomplices.

"What's going on here?" Dorry asked

"I told you there were people here besides us. These idiots put explosives in our alcohol to try and ruin your duel." Luffy said

"Is that true?" Brogy asked

"Yeah the kid with the straw hat said that people were on the island and they were here to…You know I'm not sure why they were here." Dorry said

"They were here to capture you and claim your bounties." Usopp said

"You know I forgot we even had bounties at all." Brogy said

"Yeah, you do! I can't imagine too many more people will be crazy enough to come after you two." Nami said

"Well, we would like to thank you for dealing with these little pests."

"It was our honor. We couldn't let your hundred year duel be sullied by lowly bounty hunters." Luffy said.

In the meantime Sanji had made it back to the ship with his entry for the hunting contest he and Zoro were competing in. But it was strange, he waited for everyone for a while and no one made their way back to the ship from exploring.

"It's weird that no one has made it back to the ship yet." He said getting up and walking over to the side of the ship. He jumped over the side and once on the ground he began walking randomly into the jungle. After a while walking around aimlessly he found a large white structure that was very out of place in the dense green jungle.

"What's this and what's it doing out here?" Sanji said. He opened the door and walked in. He saw a table and chairs as well as a tea set. So he made himself comfortable and sat down. He poured himself a cup of tea just to relax. He was about to take a sip, but he was interrupted when the den den mushi in the picnic basket started ringing.

"Purupurupuru, purupurupuru, purupurupuru."

It continued to ring until Sanji took it out of the picnic basket, put it on the table and answered it.

"Hey, thanks for calling. This is the shitty restaurant. You wanna place an order?

"Cut the bullshit. You Ass. Your report's late."

"Huh, report? And might I inquire as to who is calling?"

"It's me, Mr. 0."

'Mr. 0. If I recall, didn't Vivi-chan say that was the name of the enemy's boss? The man on the other side of this den den mushi is one of the Shichibukai.' Sanji thought

"It's been days since I gave you your orders. What the hell's going on Mr. 3?"

'I see, I think I get it now. This is the enemy's base on the island and Mr. 3 is the codename of the person they sent to kill Vivi-chan. Damn, I really shouldn't have been out hunting! They'd all better be okay.'

"What's with the silence? I asked you a question. Have you eliminated Princess Vivi and those Straw Hat Pirates?"

"Yeah, mission accomplished. I got rid of the bastards who discovered your secret. So, there's no need to pursue them anymore."

"I see, good work. The unluckies are headed towards your location. They will confirm your mission's success and make a delivery. You and Miss Goldenweek are to return to Alabasta with the Eternal Pose in the package. The time has come, we are going to begin the most critical part of our plan. When you get to Alabasta await further intructions."

It was then that Sanji noticed an otter and a vulture standing in the windows of the impromptu base.

'Who are these two?' Sanji finished thinking that and the Unluckies prepared to attack the person they didn't recognize.

"Oi. What's going on?"

"Oh… Nothing at all…" Sanji said. The vulture and otter began attacking Sanji but he quickly beat both of them.

"What happened? What was that noise?"

"One of those Straw Hat bastards was still alive, but I finished him off."

"Alive, you told me you completed your assignment. Isn't that what you said?"

"Well, yes. I thought I did complete it but this bastard was a lot stronger than I expected."

"In other words, you gave me a false report."

"Well, yeah if you want to put it that way…But this time, I'm quite sure I've finished him off. No need for you to send anyone else here."

"Whatever. In any case, you're to head straight for Alabasta. I'm ending the transmission here. It would be annoying if the Marines got wind of this. I will reestablish communication the same way you have been receiving orders until now. That is all. Mr. 3." Crocodile hung up and the call ended.

"The line's been cut. Oh well. Just who the hell are these guys?" Sanji looked down and saw an Eternal Pose on the floor next to the strange otter. He picked it up, walked out the door and went back to the Merry to wait for everyone else.

"I can't believe we have to wait a year for the Log to set before we can go to the next island." Zoro said rather annoyed. But he was hoping that Sanji would come through like last time and get them a way off of this island.

"You're right this is no laughing matter!" Nami said annoyed. "Ouch."

"You alright?" Zoro asked

"Yeah, it was only a bug bite." Nami said. Then something hit her. "Oh shit." Nami said out loud for them all to hear.

"What's wrong Nami?" Luffy asked

"Nothing, nothing's wrong." Nami said. 'I thought I would be okay with a shirt on but I guess I was wrong.' Nami thought. 'I can't let this phase me just yet.'

"Ok, as long as you're sure." Luffy said. 'I know for a fact Nami got sick on this island but I don't know when she did. Wait, was it the bug bite that got her sick? It must have been.'

Just then Sanji walked out of the forest and started acting all well… like Sanji would around pretty girls. "Nami-swaaaan!., Vivi-chwaaaan!... and the rest of you bastards!"

"That dork never showed up to help us and he has the gall to show up now?!" Usopp said annoyed. He was angry that he was put through more danger than last time.

"Yo, Sanji. Anything interesting happen while you were out walking around?" Luffy asked

"You know, now that you mention it I did find this weird wax building. Then an otter and a vulture attacked me."

"An otter and a vulture." Vivi said. "Those were the unluckies! They are Mr. 0's personal messengers."

"Oh, yeah speaking of Mr. 0. I talked to him. He thought I was Mr. 3. I told him that I killed you all. He shouldn't send any one else after us."

"That is genius Sanji-kun." Nami said

"Thank you Nami-san!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes. But the hearts vanished when he saw what Nami was wearing. "Why are you wearing Luffy's shirt Nami-san?"

"Oh, this. My shirt and bra were destroyed." Nami said like it was no big deal. She also knew that this would infuriate Sanji. And she was right, it really set him off.

"You said both your shirt and bra were destroyed that means!" Sanji said. He continued to think perverted thoughts until his nose bled. It was nowhere near as bad as it was on Fishman Island. Seeing this reaction from Sanji prompted her to hit him upside the head knocking out of dream land and back to reality. "I can't believe I missed that!" Sanji said. And Nami hit him in the head again.

"He will never learn." Zoro said

"What was that Marimo?" Sanji said as he got up and walked over to Zoro. They were about to fight but Luffy interrupted them.

"Sanji, you were talking about Crocodile. Did you find anything else?"

"Actually I did, I almost forgot. The unluckies as Vivi-chan called them had brought this with them." Sanji pulled out an Eternal Pose to Alabasta and held it up for everyone to see. Vivi ran over to Sanji and gave him a hug.

"Thank you so much, Sanji-san!" Vivi said "For a moment I thought all was lost!"

"Y-You're welcome! It was nothing!" Sanji sad with hearts in his eyes.

"Hey I hope you didn't forget about our hunting contest?" Sanji said to Zoro

"No, I didn't. I found a rhino that was huge." Zoro said

"I doubt it was larger than my dinosaur." Sanji said

"With an eternal pose to Alabasta it looks like it's time to leave." Luffy said

"You are in quite a hurry." Brogy said

"It's too bad you can't stay, but don't let us keep you. I hope your country is safe." Dorry said

"Thank you." Vivi said

The Straw Hats plus Vivi and Carue walked into the forest and made their way back to the Merry. Zoro and Sanji argued over who's catch was bigger. The two idiots wouldn't give up arguing over who's catch was bigger.

"It really doesn't matter whose is bigger, I bet both dinosaurs are delicious!" Luffy said

"Plus, we can't store that much meat, even with Luffy's appetite it would still spoil." Nami said. "Take what you can and leave the rest NOW!" Nami yelled. Zoro and Sanji got their asses in gear and cut up and put as much meat as they could store in the freezer. They set sail after they were all done.

Dorry and Brogy were standing on either side of the mouth of the river leading away from the island.

"You guarded our honor with your lives." Dorry said

"And so, we shall do the same, no matter what kind of enemy there may be." Brogy said

"A friend's honor must never be tarnished, no matter what the cost!" Dorry said

"Believe in us and continue straight ahead! Whatever should appear, do not stray from your course!" Brogy said

Soon after a giant goldfish appeared in the path of the Straw Hats. They kept sailing straight forward as Brogy told them and sailed into the gold fish's mouth. They were being swallowed when all of the sudden they could see daylight in front of them. Dorry and Brogy swung their weapons with enough force to blow a hole in the gold fish. Dorry and Brogy's weapon broke from the force and fell in the ocean.

**Back to the future Straw Hats watching through the portal**

"Earlier Nami finally admitted her feelings for Luffy, but what I want to know is what you wrote to yourself?" Robin asked

"I might tell you Robin, but I will not tell the rest of you guys." Nami said

"You know I think I would rather not know." Usopp said

"I think the rest of us already have a pretty good idea who you wrote about and a good idea of the contents of the letter." Zoro said

"You know what bothers me is that nothing really could be done to prevent Nami from getting sick." Chopper said

"That's true, I even had on a different shirt. I was still bitten by that stupid bug." Nami said

"Yeah, but you getting sick along with some luck is what lead us to Chopper." Usopp said

"Now that Nami-san is sick with some luck they'll make it to Drum Kingdom again." Sanji said

"Do you think Luffy-san will find out that one by one they are getting our knowledge of their possible future?" Brook asked

"I don't know but there is something that has been bothering me about this." Franky said. "Do you remember in Shakky's bar when Usopp asked if the One Piece was real or not? Luffy freaked out threatening to give up being a pirate because he wasn't going to go on a boring adventure? What is keeping him grounded this time? He knows that the One Piece is real and he knows they will get there."

"I think we've all thought about this." Nami said

"I know I have." Usopp added.

"It's going to be weird for him finding out they all know of the future. But I think it will be something to look forward to watching. I bet he is willing to travel down the same path for a while. I can only wonder what will happen when he gets to Marineford." Sanji said

"One thing is certain, no matter how much they might want to help. Luffy will not put their safety in jeopardy to save his brother. He won't risk losing one of us just to save his brother. We didn't get to see him after he lost Ace. But when I talked to Jinbe the last time we saw him, he could still remember seeing the pain in Luffy's eyes even weeks later when they were on Amazon Lily recovering. He could also remember how happy Luffy was when he started thinking about us and what he still had." Zoro said

"I hate to admit it but the marimo is right, it would be useless to argue with him. This would be one of the few times I could see him using his rank against us." Sanji said

**Response to Reviews:**

**Tsukino Aisuru - A:** Hope you like this chapter. Sorry for the delay on posting it.

**Illium Cadeyrn:** I hope you enjoy the next chapter. Things are going to be interesting

**Johnny Spectre:** Oh, ok. I might do stuff from the movies. I am not really sure yet. I have ideas and I will leave it there for now.

**Chrisfragger:** I don't plan on getting carried away with the sexual stuff. Just enough to have fun and play with the characters.

**kentucky fan:** Thank you, I hope this one was good. I am working on 17 and hope to start 18 soonish.

**gamelover41592:** Glad you liked it. Just to satiate my own curiosity what was funny?


	17. Nami's sick and Chopper joins again

**Hi guys, its been far too long since I posted a chapter. I am sorry it has taken me so long to get this one out. I have been pretty busy with work. I hope to get back to posting on a regular schedule. I hope you enjoy the chapters that are coming next. **

An hour had passed since the Straw Hats sailed away from Little Garden. Nami could tell she had developed a slight fever and was already feeling slightly dizzy. She knew she was going to get just as sick as the first time they went to Little Garden. But she was being just as tough as last time. While they didn't say anything most of the Straw Hat crew knew what was going to happen. They knew they would have to find a doctor for Nami. They also knew that while they made a stop they would be picking up another nakama before continuing their journey to Alabasta. In the meantime Nami had to conserve her strength. To do so she was sitting up against the mast just taking it easy.

"How are you feeling Nami?" Luffy asked

"I'm just a little tired, I'll be ok Luffy." Nami said

"You don't look tired. You're sweating a lot." Luffy said

"Really, I'm fine."

"Why don't I believe you?" Luffy asked. "I'm going to keep an eye on you." Luffy said as he walked off and went to sit on the stairs.

Vivi walked over to see how Nami was doing.

"Vivi can you hold onto this for a while?" Nami asked holding the Eternal Pose to Alabasta in her hand for Vivi to take. "We will make sure we get you home to Alabasta."

Another hour had passed and the bug bite was really taking effect.

"I'm sorry Vivi, I need to go get some rest." Nami said. Nami managed to get up but didn't take more than a few steps before she collapsed on the deck. Vivi ran over to see what had happened.

"Everyone come quick!" Vivi said checking Nami's forehead. "Nami has a fever." Nearly everyone ran over to check on Nami. Zoro heard what was going on. But instead of going to check on Nami he continued to train. He kept swinging a large set of weights around like they were one of his katana.

"This isn't good. We have to get her to bed." Luffy said picking Nami up like a princess and carrying her into the storage room and down the stairs to the room she and Vivi were sharing. Luffy lay Nami down on her bed and covered her up. In the meantime Vivi went to the kitchen to get a bowl of water and a few small towels.

"What could have caused this?" Sanji asked with tears in his eyes.

"Most likely it is the change of climates." Vivi said. "No one is really immune to the threat of illness due to the unnatural changes in climate in the Grand Line. Does anyone on this ship have any medical knowledge?"

Luffy, Usopp and Sanji just shook their heads side to side.

"How long till we get to Alabasta?" Usopp asked

"I'm not sure, but it is at least a week away." Vivi said. Vivi pulled the thermometer out of Nami's mouth and was shocked to see the temperature.

"104 degrees." Vivi said. "That's way too high."

"Vivi, I have a bad feeling about this fever." Luffy said. "It's only been a few hours since we left Little Garden and Nami is already this sick. Our goal is to get you home and take out Crocodile but right now we have a problem. The Grand Line is unpredictable and without a navigator we are in trouble, even with an Eternal Pose to your country."

"I agree with you Luffy-san. But what are you saying?" Vivi asked

"Our ship travels at top speed with Nami navigating, somehow we have to find an island that is close by and get Nami to a doctor."

Nami sat up after hearing that. "I'm fine Luffy." Nami said

"I'm not going to argue with you on this Nami."

"Fine, I will rest but first I need to go back out onto the deck to check the weather." Nami said

"But the weather was nice earlier." Luffy said.

"Let me check the weather and I will come back down here. Since you insist on keeping an eye on me, help me onto deck." Nami said

"Alright." Luffy said kind of annoyed

"Vivi in the top drawer of my desk there is a newspaper, I think you might be interested in one of the articles." Nami said

Vivi got up and got the newspaper out of Nami's desk. She found an article about Alabasta. She was less than thrilled when she read about what was going on in her country.

"300,000 soldiers have defected and joined up with the revolutionaries." Vivi said as she scrunched the newspaper up in her hands.

"That paper is a few days old. I didn't want to worry you since we can't go any faster."

"I understand, but this shift in manpower changes things."

"We will get you there. It's just going to take an extra couple of days." Luffy said

Nami got out of bed, put on her sandals on and put her arm around Luffy's neck for support.

"Nami, what are you doing out of bed so soon?" Zoro asked

"I wanted to check our course and the weather." Nami said

"Will you be alright?" Luffy asked

"Yeah, I will be fine."

Sanji and Usopp followed Nami and Luffy out onto deck. Vivi stayed in her room. She had some things to think about.

"Why the hell aren't you looking at the Eternal Pose?" an agitated Nami asked. She knew Zoro got his memories back. 'Maybe he just doesn't remember the storm we nearly avoided last time.'

"I've been following that cloud."

"Clouds move and change shape!"

"Go get some rest and leave this to me!" Zoro said

"I came out because I couldn't leave it to you!"

"The airs changed." Nami said suddenly as she walked over to the side of the ship. "A large gust of wind is going to hit us head on."

"Are you sure Nami-san, the weather has been nice." Sanji said

"I don't care! Just move the ship!"

The crew got to work. It didn't take long to set the ship on a new course. Vivi made her way back onto the deck. "I thought about what you said Luffy-san and you are right. Once Nami-san is better we will continue our journey to Alabasta."

"I'm sorry we couldn't get there faster." Nami said

"Please don't worry Nami-san. We have to get you better first."

"I think I might be in a little trouble…" Nami said as she stumbled and passed out. Luffy ran over and caught her before she could hit her head on the deck.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Luffy yelled. Everyone turned to look at the massive cyclone that had formed.

"That's the same direction we were heading before!" Sanji said

'Cyclones on the Grand Line are supposedly impossible to predict. And yet Nami-san didn't rely on theory alone to predict the weather. It's almost as if she can sense slight changes in the weather.' Vivi thought. "I've never seen a navigator do anything like that."

"Let's get Nami back into bed." Luffy said

The Straw Hats sailed on after narrowly avoiding the enormous cyclone. Sometime over night they sailed into a new islands magnetic field and it had been snowing. The next morning as they were sailing Zoro was on lookout in the crow's nest. He had binoculars and was looking out into the distance when he saw something strange.

"Hey do you guys think people can stand on the ocean?

"What are you talking about?" Usopp asked

"Just look out in front of us you idiots." Zoro said

"How the hell is he doing that?" Luffy asked

A few minutes later they had sailed up to the strange man standing on the ocean. He just stood there speechless for a little while. That was until Luffy spoke up.

"You've just been standing there, what the hell do you want?"

He didn't say anything, soon a ship surrounded by a huge metal dome came up out of the ocean.

'Franky would've loved to see this ship. It's a marvel of engineering.' Usopp thought.

The metal panel surrounding the ship began rolling up. Soon a large hippo head came up, out of the ocean.

"We're too busy to deal with crap like this." Zoro said 'now who the hell was this guy again?' Zoro thought. 'All I remember is that he is a pain in the ass.'

Soon enough the pain in the ass spoke up. "Maaaaaahahahahaha. Surprised, aren't you? This is my giant diving ambush ship: The Blinking! Maaaaaahahahahaha, Maaaaaahahahahaha!"

Down below deck Sanji could hear the laughter of someone so he went upstairs to check it out. By time he made it up there Usopp, Zoro and Luffy had been "captured".

"What's going on?" Sanji asked. He took a cigarette out of the pack, lit it and inhaled before blowing out a puff of smoke. "Well? You gonna answer me?"

"Our ships being attacked." Luffy said

"Yeah, that's what I thought. I am just curious why you idiots let them get this far."

"Oh, sorry. I was waiting for you to show up. I figured you could hear him laughing from down below deck. I didn't want you to miss out on the fun." Luffy said

"I appreciate that, thanks captain." Sanji said

"Are you lowlifes really pirates? You're just a bunch of weirdoes. Is there really only four of you?" Wapol said as he was nonchalantly munching on a sword before he finished it. He pulled out a second to munch on.

"Really, we're weirdoes. You just ate a freakin sword." Luffy said

"No matter how you look at it four people is not enough for a pirate crew." Wapol said

"Why would you do that? It hurts just watching him eat that thing." Usopp said

"Might as well ask. We're headed to Drum Kingdom. Would you happen to have an Eternal Pose or even a Log Pose?"

"Ain't got one, never heard of any place called Drum Kingdom either." Sanji said

"If there's nothing else, get the hell off our ship. We're in a hurry and have no time to waste on you." Luffy said

"Ah, don't rush your life so much. If you don't have one, that's that. However, I'll be taking your treasure and your ship. But before I do, I'm feeling a bit peckish." Wapol said

Luffy wasn't going to let him take a bite out Merry like last time. Luffy turned and hopped off the railing he had been sitting on. In response to Luffy's motion, Wapol's soldiers readied their weapons. Before they could realize what had happened the boy in the straw hat had disappeared and reappeared right next to Wapol.

"How did he get over there?" One soldier said

"We didn't even see him move." Another soldier said

"There is no way in hell I am going to let you take a bite out of our ship." Luffy said as he put his hand on Wapol's shoulder.

"How dare you touch Wapol-sama you filthy pirate." Another soldier said

Wapol tried to move but couldn't. The soldiers went to protect their king/ captain; whatever he was calling himself at this point. It really didn't matter. The soldiers on the deck shot at Luffy but he stood there perfectly calm.

"How come he didn't move? Why is he not falling down in pain?" Another soldier said

"You really shouldn't have done that." Zoro said. As Zoro finished that statement the bullets that hit Luffy were sent back toward the soldiers who fired them. They were going twice as fast, some missed completely while others just barely grazed the cheeks of the soldiers.

"What do you think Luffy?" Zoro said from the crow's nest.

"You guys have some fun. I will make sure he doesn't eat our ship."

"Sounds good to me." Sanji said as he began kicking the soldiers who were surrounding him. Zoro pulled the cloak off of himself and unsheathed two of his swords. He easily beat the soldiers who had climbed up to the crow's nest. He ran down the mast of the ship and made short work of the soldiers at the bottom. Usopp had run away to hide. Close range combat never suited him all that well. By the time Vivi had come up to see what was going on all the soldiers had been beaten.

"Ah Vivi-chan how is Nami-san doing?" Sanji asked

In the meantime Luffy had hoped down off the railing of the ship and extended his arms well past the ship and out over the ocean.

"GET LOST!" Luffy yelled as his arms retracted and soon connected with Wapol sending him flying off the Merry and out over the ocean.

The soldiers on the deck of Wapol's ship were speechless. Vivi was also left speechless. The soldiers retreated from the Merry via the hippo head bridge. Soon they were off the ship and sailing away to find Wapol before he drowned.

"Who was that?" Vivi asked

"They said his name was Wapol." Usopp said

"Don't worry about him, he's just your run of the mill idiot." Sanji said

Around sun set the same day Luffy, Vivi and Sanji were in Nami's room checking up on her.

"The sun's already going down, Vivi-chan."

"We should stop for the night and drop the anchor. Without Nami-san guiding us we won't be able to navigate at night."

Later that night Nami woke up; she had spent most of the day asleep. That was when she noticed that everyone but Sanji was in her room and they were all sound asleep. After looking around the room she covered back up and went back to sleep. The next morning they were sailing when off in the distance Sanji spotted an island.

"Sanji, come here I need to ask you something." Usopp said. Sanji made his way down from the crow's nest.

"What do you want?" Sanji asked following Usopp up the stairs into the kitchen. "So, what did you want?" Sanji asked.

"I figured it was about time you got your memories back." Usopp said

"Wait, do you? Am I?"

"Yeah, I got mine a few days ago while we were on Little Garden."

"How could I be last?" Sanji asked.

"Well technically you aren't last, you're just the last crew member currently on board the ship who doesn't remember." Usopp said

"Wait, what? You know what, never mind. Just do it." Sanji said

"Okay, just a warning it is really dumb." Usopp said

"I was wondering, can I borrow some of the knives you got from Zeff back on the Baratie?" Usopp asked

"Really, that's what you wanted?" Sanji said. He was about to kick Usopp for wasting his time but then his memories or rather his future selves memories came flooding back to him.

"I hate it that it was that simple." Sanji said.

"I know, I know. But it worked didn't it?"

"Yeah, I think it did."

"That's great. Anything stand out more than anything else?"

"I can't believe I am about to say this but there is one girl I can't stop thinking about." Sanji said

"You must be sick as well." Usopp said. "The ladies' man Sanji only has feelings for one girl."

"Don't get me wrong, I still love Nami-san and Vivi-chan. But there is just someone I love more than them."

"Ok, now I know you're sick." Usopp said

"Yeah, Yeah." Sanji said waving Usopp off. "We must be getting pretty close to the island by now. We can't let the marimo and our idiot captain be the first ones the locals meet."

"Just one more thing." Usopp said stopping Sanji from walking out the door.

"What is that Usopp?" Sanji asked

"Don't mention anything to Luffy just yet. We need to have a meeting once Nami is better about what our next step is." Usopp said

"Alright, I won't do anything stupid just yet." Sanji said

Usopp and Sanji went outside to see how the rest of the crew was doing. They were still sailing towards the island. An hour later the pirates were making their way inland. Soon they made it as far as they were going to by boat. Luffy and Sanji went to furl the sails. Zoro had already dropped the anchor. They weren't on the island for more than a few minutes before villagers with guns appeared essentially surrounding the crew.

"Well isn't that just great." Sanji said taking a puff of his cigarette.

"They don't look to happy to see us." Usopp said

"Pirates, we demand that you leave this shore immediately." Dalton said

"We only came here to find a doctor! We mean you no harm." Luffy said

"Please, We have a sick person on board!" Vivi said

"You think your tricks will work on us?" One villager said

"This is no trick." Luffy said getting on his hands and knees and bowing to the only person he recognized. "My friend is sick. We really need to get her to a doctor, Please!"

Vivi was shocked and impressed to see Luffy so willing to bow before people who were so adamant about pirates that they were just asked to leave the island before actually having set even a single foot on the ground.

"I'll lead you to our Village." Dalton said

Vivi went downstairs and helped Nami get ready for the cold weather. With Nami all set Luffy came down and got Nami all situated on his back. They made their way off the ship and started walking towards the village. Zoro and Carue stayed behind on the ship.

Sometime later they made it to Bighorn.

"Thank you for your help everyone. Anyone not on lookout, please return to work"

"Will you be okay by yourself, Dalton-san? They're pirates, you know." One villager said

"I don't think they mean us any harm."

Some of the villagers talked amongst themselves. They weren't sure if they should be left alone but reluctantly they agreed.

"Then, Dalton-san, we'll leave it to you."

"I guess they aren't your country's armed forces." Vivi said

"No, they are civilians. Why don't we go into my house for the time being? We can talk in there." The straw hats followed Dalton to his home. All of the pirates followed him inside. "Please use the bed over there. I'll get the room warmed up."

Luffy set Nami down on the bed and Vivi helped her get comfortable. Dalton got a fire started in the fireplace.

"Forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is Dalton. I am this island's Captain of the Guard. Please excuse our hostile reception." Dalton said. "I'm sorry, have I met you somewhere before." Dalton asked Vivi.

"I'm sure it's just your imagination!" Vivi said kind of flustered but maintaining composure.

"Earlier, Nami-san's temperature rose to 107 degrees."

Dalton was surprised to hear that her fever was so high.

"Her fever has been rising steadily for 3 days now."

"If it rises any higher, she will surely die." Dalton said

"We don't know what's causing her illness, or how to treat it."

"Unfortunately there is only one Doctor on this island right now."

"Only one doctor!" Vivi said shocked

"You see the mountains out the window? At the top of the tallest mountain there is a castle."

"Yeah, I can see it." Sanji said.

"Her name is Dr. Kureha and she lives in that castle."

"Is there any way to get in contact with her?" Sanji asked already knowing the answer.

"Unfortunately there is not." Dalton said

"What the hell kind of doctor is she?"

"She is a great doctor, there is no denying her skill, but she is a rather strange old woman. She is nearly 140 years old." Dalton said

"How does someone live to be that old?" Sanji asked

"That's a good question." Dalton said

"What happens when the people of this country get sick or injured?" Vivi asked

"She comes down from time to time and goes around looking for sick people to treat. She will take whatever she pleases as payment."

"She sounds like a pirate." Luffy said

"How does such an old woman get down from the mountain?"

"People have seen her come down from the mountain in a sleigh. On moonlight nights it looks like she is flying through the sky. Everyone around here calls her a witch. She comes down from the mountain with a creature the likes of which no one has seen before."

Luffy, Sanji and Usopp were all thinking about Chopper when Dalton mentioned the strange creature.

"Well that settles it." Luffy said

"What do you mean Luffy-san?" Vivi asked

"We can't wait for her to come down the mountain. So I will take Nami up the mountain myself."

"You can't be serious" Vivi said

"What choice do we have?" Luffy said getting up from his seat on the floor and walking over to Nami. Luffy woke Nami up by lightly slapping her on the cheek. "Nami, there is a doctor on the island but we have to climb a mountain to get to her."

"Take good care of me, captain." Nami said

"Of course, leave it to me!" Luffy said

A few minutes later Nami was out of bed, wearing a coat and was again tied to Luffy's back. Once they were ready they went outside to get ready to make the climb up the mountain.

"Alright, you ready to go Nami?" Luffy asked

"Yeah" Was all Nami could say before she fell back to sleep.

"I'm coming with you." Sanji said

"No, I'm going alone." Luffy said. I have a feeling you are going to be needed more here."

"There is no way you can fight the Lapahns that live in the woods." Dalton said

"Nami and I will be fine I can take care of anything that we might come across." Luffy said cracking his usual smile.

"I hate to say it but he is right. We only have to worry about him climbing up the mountain." Sanji said

"Alright, just be careful. And don't say I didn't warn you." Dalton said

Luffy took off and soon enough they were out of sight.

"Looks like all we can do now is wait." Usopp said

"I have a question Dalton, what happened to this country?" Sanji asked

"Less than a year ago this country was completely ravaged by a group of pirates"

"That explains why you were so nervous when we first arrived."

"The citizens are not yet ready to hear the word pirate again. You must excuse their behavior. It was a pirate crew of only 5 members. Their captain called himself Blackbeard and he had power vastly surpassing our own."

"Blackbeard" Usopp said. That name still sent chills down his spine.

"However some would say it was good for the country."

"How can that be good for your country?" Vivi asked

"When the pirates attacked our country the former King Wapol fled with the isshi 20 and all of our countries soldiers."

"Wapol." Sanji said "Wasn't that the name of the guy Luffy sent flying yesterday?"

"I think your right." Usopp said

"What are you talking about?"

"While we were sailing here we ran into a pirate who called himself Wapol. He attacked our ship looking for any means to get back here." Usopp said

"So he is trying to make his way back here." Dalton said

"After he fled the country the remaining citizens have been working to build our own country. The one thing we fear most is Wapol's return and the restoration of the monarchy."

Meanwhile Luffy and Nami were making their way through the woods. That was when they ran into a large group of Lapahns. 'I'm not going to let anything happen to Nami.' Luffy thought. Instead of trying to fight them he used his Haoshoku Haki and simply knocked them all out and went on his way.

Back at the ship Zoro had jumped into the water and began trying to train his body to resist the cold. The idiot began swimming around underwater. Carue thought he drowned and jumped in after Zoro. A little while later Zoro was walking around in the woods through the snow.

"Damn, I swam too far. Where the hell am I?"

That was when he noticed an old lady who he only recognized because she kicked his ass. He also recognized the reindeer pulling her sleigh. 'Good to see you again Chopper.' Zoro thought.

"Can you give me a ride to the nearest town?" Zoro asked

Kureha motioned for Zoro to come closer. She punched him and she took off.

"Crazy old lady" Zoro said "I'm going to be in trouble if I stay out here. But I guess some training ought to warm me up."

Wapol and his former pirate crew managed to find their way back to the island. They docked on the shore and they had made their way inland.

"Wapol-sama" One of the soldiers said. "Those pirates from yesterday docked their ship on the riverbank!" The soldier said pointing to the Straw Hats ship.

"What are Mugiwara and his crew doing in my kingdom? Even though they said they didn't know where it was, they are still managed to find their way here! Go over there and kill them!"

"That's the thing, the ship is completely empty. We don't know where they are!"

"Wapol-sama, we scouted around the ship for their footprints and it looks like they headed for Bighorn." Chess said

Since he knocked out the Lapahns earlier and there was no avalanche, it took him less time to make to make it to the base of the mountain. He also didn't have to deal with Wapol a second time. He took off his sandals and put them in his pockets. He used Busoshoku Haki on his hands and feet so he wouldn't absolutely destroy them climbing up the vertical mountain face. Luffy began climbing. 'Using my Haki while climbing this mountain is a good idea.' Luffy thought.

Usopp, Vivi, Sanji and Dalton went looking for Dr. Kureha when a villager told Dalton that she was in a town not very far away. Soon enough they made it to the town where Dr. Kureha had treated a little boy. They learn that they just missed her. They also learned that she was heading to a town called Gyasta. To get to Gyasta they would have to cut through Bighorn. That was when a man who was part of the lookout team earlier walked into the restaurant.

"What happened, how did you get these horrible wounds?" Dalton asked

"Dalton-san, Wapol has returned." The man said

Dalton started to run out but before he could make it very far Sanji stopped him.

"Wait a minute Dalton." Sanji said "Let us help."

"Thank you but this is my fight." Dalton said. He was appreciative that someone would offer to help him fight but he was stubborn. He wanted to finish this himself.

"Vivi-chan, Usopp. Let's go." Sanji said. They walked out of the building and got back in their sleigh and started to head back the way them came.

Wapol had made it to Bighorn and started making the village his personal snack. Kuromarimo told Wapol about the current residents of his castle. He also mentioned that Mugiwara was heading to the castle as well. Wapol was about to leave the village for his castle when Dalton showed up and attacked him.

In the meantime Usopp, Sanji and Vivi were making their way back to Bighorn when they happened across Zoro who was exercising.

"What the hell are you doing out here marimo?" Sanji yelled

"What does it look like, I was exercising" Zoro said

"Get in you idiot. Wapol made it here."

"We don't have to worry. Even if they make it up to the castle, Luffy will take care of him." Zoro said

"I don't disagree but we should still go up there. Also we need to help Dalton. He is all on his own and I think he will need some backup."

"I have no idea who Dalton is. But if I could get a coat out of this I wouldn't complain." Zoro said as he jumped into the sleigh. Once he was in they took off. Soon enough they made it back to Bighorn. Wapol, Chess and Kuromarmio had already gone on ahead to go catch up to Luffy and to go reclaim the castle. The soldiers had stayed behind and surrounded Dalton, preventing anyone from getting close to him. He has been beaten rather badly by Wapol and his men.

"What happened, where is Dalton-san?" Vivi asked a local

"The soldiers are surrounding him." A villager said

The villagers were just standing there not doing anything. A soldier was mocking the villagers. "Are you that afraid to do anything without Dalton protecting you?"

Zoro went and attacked the soldier who was mocking the villagers. Once he was down on the ground Zoro took his boots, jacket and gloves.

"You ready swirly brow?" Zoro asked

"Of course, I'm ready you idiot swordsman." Sanji said. Both started running towards the soldiers. Zoro stole three swords from soldiers as he ran by. When those soldiers went to grab their swords they noticed they were missing. "Looking for these?" Zoro asked. Soon enough he beat all of his opponents. Rather easily at that. Sanji also effortlessly defeated the soldiers he fought. Soon enough all of the soldiers had been defeated. Zoro put the swords he had used in the snow discarding them. The villagers were speechless to see all of Wapol's soldiers having been defeated so easily.

Meanwhile Luffy made it to the top of the mountain. He still passed out after climbing the mountain. Even without having to carry Sanji it was still heavily taxing on his body. The temperature and the wind would hurt anyone foolish enough to climb the mountain, it really didn't matter how strong you were.

Luffy could sense Chopper walking towards him. He managed to get up just long enough to say "Please, help her. She is my friend, she is really sick." He soon passed out again.

The next thing Luffy knew, he woke up in a bed in a room in the castle. Luffy was wrapped in bandages from his shoulders down to his feet. Even with his haki coated hands and feet it didn't protect him from the elements. He laid there thinking for a little while. 'That was just as horrible the second time.' Luffy closed his eyes and went to back to relaxing for a little bit. He wasn't going to chase Chopper around like he did last time.

In a room down the hall Nami had woken up and was resting in bed. Thanks to Chopper and Dr. Kureha's treatment she was already feeling better. She was glad to be awake. She had spent the better part of three days asleep. Dr. Kureha walked in and checked Nami's temperature. She knew more than enough to treat the Kestia virus that was plaguing Nami. The herbs and medicines worked rather fast. Soon Nami's temperature had dropped out of the 'danger zone'. It was now down around 101 degrees. While it was still high it was acceptable considering how high it had been.

Nami sat up but Dr. Kureha stopped her before she could move too much. "You shouldn't be moving around yet. The medicine has only just begun to take effect."

"Thank you for treating me." Nami said

"Don't thank me yet, you are still sick. Just because your fever has gone down that doesn't mean you can get up and do whatever you please."

Nami slithered back into bed and covered herself back up with the thick blankets.

"Now tell me, where did you stop before this island?" Dr. Kureha asked, actually more like demanded to know. "The bug that bit you thrived in humid climates."

"We were on Little Garden, I guess three days ago." Nami said

"That explains a lot."

"That jungle was crawling with creatures that should've been extinct." Nami said

"Yes, specifically the bug that bit you was supposed to have gone extinct around 100 years ago. I am just glad I still had the ingredients for the medicine just lying around." Kureha said

"Why is that?" Nami asked

"Because, if I didn't you would have been dead in two days. You have no idea how lucky you are. Now, get some rest. It will take ten days before the virus is gone. Even with my medicine it will take three days of bed rest before I let you leave." With that Dr. Kureha walked out of the room. The door must not have been shut all the way as a strong gust of wind blew the door open again. Nami had started to get up to go close the door but Chopper stopped her.

"You shouldn't be getting out of bed yet. You still have a fever."

"I know, but I feel a lot better." Nami said

"You may feel better, but you still shouldn't be moving around! Doctorine's medicine works quickly so your fever will be gone soon. But the Kestia bacteria is still inside your body." Chopper walked over and closed the door. "You have to take your antibiotics and stay put, understand?"

"Ok, I will take my medicine. You're the one who took care of me, right? Thank you, it sounds like you literally saved my life."

"SHUT UP! I DON'T NEED TO THANKED BY A HUMAN!" Chopper said before he started doing his happy dance. "DON'T MESS WITH ME! Asshole." Still dancing around all happy. "Don't be silly you dummy." Chopper said while still dancing.

'He really can't hide his feelings can he?' Nami thought. 'I want Chopper to come back to us right away.' So she introduced herself.

"Doctorine told me your name's Chopper. My name is Nami it's nice to meet you Chopper. That's a nice hat you have there. I noticed you reach for it when you get excited. Did someone give you that hat?"

"The man who gave me this hat and my name was a man whom I respected. He taught me a lot, he taught me about the world and how small we are. His name was Dr. Hiluluk."

"So, Dr. Hiluluk gave you the hat you're wearing?" Nami asked. 'I will be glad when this is all out in the open and we can get our crew back together.'

Hearing those words, something clicked in Choppers head and all of his older counterparts memories came back. All of a sudden Chopper became teary eyed and jumped into Nami's arms.

"Nami, I remember you. I remember all of our adventures together." Chopper said as he was crying into Nami's chest as he gave her a big hug. Nami only rubbed Chopper's back as she let him get all of his tears out of his system.

"It's all right Chopper, It's ok, let it all out. I am glad to see you too." Nami said.

It was then that she noticed a certain boy with a straw hat literally had his mouth on the floor. She didn't know how long he had been standing there. But judging from his reaction it was long enough. Now the red headed navigator was stuck. She inadvertently let it slip that at least she and Chopper had memories from their previous adventures. Nami didn't have a chance to tell Chopper not to say anything to Luffy that might give away that they knew too much. But now it was too late.

Chopper continued to cry for a little while longer until he too noticed that the straw hat-wearing captain he had been able to call his friend was standing there. Luffy was still quite shocked but he no longer had his chin on the ground. Chopper ran over to Luffy, he jumped up and gave him a big hug. Nami along with the crew were going to have some explaining to do. But Luffy had some explaining of his own to do. They would have to talk about it later when they were on the Merry. They couldn't talk about something that sounded so crazy out in the open.

Luffy soon spoke up. "Nami what's going on?" Luffy asked as he put Chopper down on the ground.

"I'm not going to lie to you Luffy. We all have our memories of the first time we traveled the Grand Line and the New World." Nami said. Luffy's jaw once again fell. But before it could make its way to the ground he caught it. This time his jaw quickly went back to normal. For a little while Nami couldn't tell what Luffy was thinking. For as long as she knew him, he had been relatively easy to read. But this time, this time was different. It looked like there were so many emotions mixed together. She didn't know what he was going to do. Was he going to yell, cry, or something else entirely.

Luckily it was the third one. Luffy ran over to Nami and he gave her a hug. Nami was surprised but at the same time she was glad. As soon as this was over and they were back on the ship the Straw Hats were going to have an interesting conversation.

"I can't wait to hear this story Nami." Luffy said with his big goofy smile.

"The same goes for you. You didn't tell us what you were going to do. You just up and disappeared on us."

"I'm sorry I just up and left you guys. We will talk later. Right now Wapol is making his way up the mountain as we speak."

"Yeah we will." Nami said mischievously.

"You ready to fight for your home Chopper?" Luffy asked

"Of course. Nami, you need your rest. So stay here." Chopper said

"I will try to rest Chopper. Oh, and Luffy, on the left side of Wapol's belt there is a key. Make sure you grab it."

"I will grab it. Let's go Chopper." Luffy said

Luffy and Chopper walked out of the room. Luffy went to grab his jacket. Chopper went to warn Dr. Kureha that Wapol was coming. They headed outside to wait. It didn't take too long for Wapol to make his way to the top of the mountain. Chopper and Luffy were standing in front of the large main doors to the castle when he announced his return.

"I've come home. And look, everything is exactly as I left it."

"Not exactly, the Drum Kingdom flag isn't flying anymore." Chess said

"What happened to the flag?" Wapol asked rather annoyed.

"I burned it." Doctorine said walking out of the castle.

"How dare you destroy the symbol of Drum Kingdom" Wapol said

"This castle isn't yours anymore. Save us the trouble and get out of this country. Drum Kingdom is no more." Kureha said

"You've got some guts, moving into my castle while I'm away."

"This is Hiluluk's grave. I don't give a damn about this castle."

"Maaaaaahahahahaha, My castle? The quack Doctor's grave? Defiling my sacred castle with that filthy doctor's flag!" Wapol said "Burn the flag at once!" he yelled

"You won't get anywhere near the castle or flag." Chopper said changing into his Heavy Point

"Wapol-sama, that's the monster who tried to attack the castle six years ago." Chess said

Luffy was fuming. Once again he was angry at Wapol for not understanding what it meant to fly a pirate flag.

"I won't let you touch that flag. A pirate flag is something you pledge your life to. The skull and crossbones is a symbol of conviction!" Luffy said as pumped his legs and he disappeared.

"Where did Mugiwara go?" Kuromarimo asked

He quickly got his answer as Luffy reappeared right next to Wapol. He only stood there for a brief moment before he kicked Wapol's legs out from under him causing Wapol to fall over. Luffy jumped up, coated his fist in haki and punched Wapol in the stomach. Wapol's impact with the ground formed a crater about about three times his size. Luffy landed off to the left of Wapol. As Nami mentioned, there was a key on his left side. Luffy grabbed it and put it in his pocket.

Dr. Kureha watched the whole thing, but she didn't say anything. Her mouth was wide open. This reaction was shared by Chess and Kuromarimo. Chopper was playing along, but he had seen much cooler.

"That happened so fast." Chess and Kuromarimo said

Back down in the village of Bighorn. Dalton had been treated by Wapol's former isshi 20. The doctors took the arrows out of his chest, treated the wounds and stitched him up. He had been sleeping ever since. After some rest he woke up, got out of bed and walked outside. He was in rough shape. The stitches on his wounds were holding but any strenuous activity and they would be torn out.

"What are you doing out of bed Dalton-san?" Vivi asked

"I have to go fight. What will happen to the country if I don't?"

"You're hardly in any shape to fight." Zoro said

"I will be fine." Dalton said using his weapon as a makeshift cane. Dalton stumbled a little bit and started to fall but he prevented himself from doing so.

"If you didn't have that you would have just fallen over." Zoro said

"If you insist on being so damn stubborn we might as well take you up to the castle." Sanji said

"Why would you do that?" Dalton asked

"Our captain and our navigator are up on top of the mountain. Also if you tried going there on your own you would fall over unconscious before you made it out of the village." Sanji said

Before Dalton could say anything either way, Usopp pulled up in the sleigh.

"Get in." Usopp said

Dalton walked over to the sleigh that had taken them around the island earlier. Dalton got in the back along with Zoro. Sanji and Vivi got up front with Usopp.

"Ok, so before we go anywhere how are we going to get up a mountain?" Usopp asked

"In Gyasta there is a ropeway that leads up to the castle." A villager said

"I thought they were all destroyed?" Another villager said

"There is one left, it's tied to a huge tree outside of Gyasta."

"That settles it, we will go up that way." Sanji said.

"We are coming with you." Some of the villagers said.

"If Dalton-san is willing to fight for this country then we should be there to help him." Other villagers said

They left Bighorn for the ropeway outside Gyasta. They made it to Gyasta sometime later and not long after that they made it to Dr. Kureha's old tree house. Sitting at the end of the rope was a trolley that they could take to the castle. The Straw Hats, Vivi, Dalton and a dozen villagers made their way onto the trolley. Two villagers were unlucky enough to have to peddle up the rope. One was in the front of the car while the other was in the back.

Back at the top of the mountain Wapol was getting up out of the crater.

"Damn you Mugiwara." Wapol said. "Chess, what did I eat today?"

Chess started listing off everything Wapol had eaten today. None of the "food" was edible by any other person's standards. Wapol began transforming. Soon he was an amalgamation of all the strange items he had devoured.

What happened next was just as strange. Wapol chomped down on Chess and Kuromarimo. It looked like he ate them but moments later the two of them stepped out of the door in Wapol's chest. Thanks to Wapol's power they had been combined into one person. Chopper and Luffy couldn't hide their excitement. Even though it was weird it was still pretty awesome.

"Chopper, can you handle those two?" Luffy asked.

"Of course I can."

"Good." Luffy said

"Hey, big mouth." Luffy said getting Wapol's attention. "Since you eat weapons, go get the most powerful one you can find. I will still kick your ass." Luffy said

This mad Wapol furious. He stormed off into the castle intending to make this pirate pay for underestimating him.

"Is that really a good idea, letting him eat whatever he wants?" Doctorine asked

"It might have been a bad idea. Who knows? But I am certain there isn't a weapon in that castle that he could use to beat me."

Kureha wasn't sure what to say. She had plenty of thoughts on the matter. She wasn't sure if the kid was just crazy or what. But regardless, she figured the kid would be able to handle himself.

"That was a bad idea Mugiwara." Chessmarimo said

"Should you be thinking about that when you have to fight him." Luffy said pointing to Chopper.

"The little monster is no threat to us." They said "What can you do to us. We already know all three of your forms."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Chopper said. He took a rumble ball out of his pocket. "Rumble" was all Chopper said as he put the jawbreaker in his mouth and bit down. He didn't waste any time. He transformed into Walk Point then started running towards his opponent. Chessmarimo also started running towards Chopper.

Chessmarimo and Chopper met in the middle and the two started fighting. Chessmarimo was swinging his hammers trying to hit Chopper but he kept switching between Brain Point and Heavy Point. Chopper turned into Guard Point to protect himself from the hammers. This threw Chessmarimo off for a moment. He switched to Horn Point, lowered his head and rammed them. Chopper tossed them high into the air and turned into Arm Point.

"Kokutei Roseo" Chopper said as he hit the Chess part of Chessmarimo in the chin. "Kokutei Roseo Metel." Chopper said as he hit the duo several times just to make sure that he was unconscious. The barrage left a dozen Sakura shaped hoof prints all over Chessmarimo's chest. Chessmarimo fell over onto the ground. Chopper changed back into his Brain Point form and walked over to Luffy and Dr. Kureha.

"Great Job Chopper. Looks like I am up now." Luffy said as he used his Kenbunshoku Haki to search the castle for Wapol. He found him making his way up to the tower he found him last time. He was looking for the hippo gatling gun weapon. With any luck the same snowbirds would have nested in the weapon making it inoperable.

Luffy ran into the castle and soon disappeared as he stretched his arm up and grabbed onto a railing high up in the castle. He continued running until he found Wapol standing next to the greatest weapon in the castle.

"Looks like you found me Mugiwara." Wapol said

"Wasn't that hard." Luffy said. "Go ahead, try shooting me."

Wapol hit the switch on the side of the weapon. Nothing happened. He tried several more times. Every single time was a dud.

"I gave you a chance to find something to beat me with. It didn't work out too well in your favor." Luffy said.

"Do you understand what you are doing Mugiwara. You are going against the King of a country that is a member of the World Government." Wapol said

"I don't care about the World Government." Luffy said as he ran over to Wapol and punched him in the chin, launching him into the spire of the castle. Luffy opened a window and climbed up the spire to where Wapol was now stuck.

"Now, never come back." Luffy said. "Busoshoku koka" Luffy said as he turned his forearms black. "Gomu Gomu no" he said as he stretched his arms well beyond the mountain and quickly retracted his arms back to his body. "Bazooka" Luffy said as his haki coated fists connected with Wapol's chest. This sent Wapol flying far out into the ocean. He disappeared with a twinkle in the sky.

Back down on the ground Chopper was watching Wapol disappear one more time. "Doctorine" Chopper said.

"I know Chopper. It's been a long time coming. But who would have imagined that this country would be saved by a pirate."

While Luffy was still on top of the castle a metal capsule like object came out of the ground. Zoro and Sanji, followed by Usopp made their way out of the tunnel. Luffy launched himself down to the snow below. He got up out of the snow and walked over to his crew.

"The fighting all over already?" Sanji asked

"Yup," Luffy said

"Chopper." Luffy yelled. Chopper came running. "Guys, I want to introduce you to our new crew member. But I am pretty sure you already know him."

Hearing that last sentence their faces went from a happy to an, oh shit, he knows face.

"We have a lot to talk about later." Luffy said.

Sanji went and told everyone that it was clear for everyone to come up. A few minutes later Sanji made his way back up the tunnel. Vivi wasn't far behind followed by Dalton.

"You send that annoying king flying?" Zoro asked

"You bet." Luffy said just laughing

"Wait, that was Wapol who we saw flying through the sky?" Dalton asked

"Yeah, that's right." Luffy said.

"What about Wapol's ministers?" Dalton asked

"Oh, them. Chopper beat them up." Luffy said

"Chopper, who is Chopper?" Dalton asked

"That's him right there. Chopper is the reindeer." Luffy said pointing to Chopper who was standing off to the side.

"I remember you. You were there… back then…" Dalton said "You've been fighting for this country all this time." Dalton got down on his hand and knees and bowed. "Drum Kingdom will surely… be reborn." After staying like that for a few moments Dalton got back up.

Soon enough the villagers made their way up out of the tunnel and saw a strange creature standing among Luffy and his crew.

"W-What's that? That weird creature!" One villager said

"You don't get to say anything bad about Chopper! He helped free your country from Wapol. He beat the one with the black afro and the other one." Luffy said. "If you want to hurt him, you're going to have to go through me." Luffy said. It was more so to intimidate the villagers. They backed off and didn't say anything else. "Good."

"You're bleeding." Chopper said to Dalton. "Let's go look at your wounds and change the bandages. Then you need to rest. You shouldn't have made the trip up here." Chopper said scolding Dalton for acting so foolishly. At the same time he knew he had worse patients than this on the Straw Hat crew. Dalton agreed and began walking towards the castle.

Sanji was upset that he didn't get to help fight this time. But Luffy was stronger and easily took care of anything he might have come across. At the same time he was glad that he didn't have to climb or be carried up the mountain. He was also grateful that he wouldn't have to be treated by the crazy witch doctor again.

Everyone walked into the castle and went upstairs to where Dr. Kureha was waiting. She treated Dalton's wounds and he had to stay in bed. If he didn't he would suffer the wrath of the witch. Chopper walked off to think for a little while.

"Dalton where is the key to the castle armory? You know where it is, right?" Kureha asked

"The key to the armory? What do you want with it?" Dalton asked

"What I do with it is my business."

"Wapol has always carried that key. If he is gone then so is the key."

"That's a problem."

Luffy walked over and sat on the bed with Nami. He handed the key to the red headed girl.

"Doctorine…What would you say to making the fee for my recovery, free? Also, would you mind releasing me now?"

"I think you already know the answer to that. The fee is all the gold and cargo on your ship. And you have to stay here for at least another two days."

"Nami-san, she's right! You have to let her care for you!" Vivi said

"I'm fine. I don't feel like dying anytime soon." Nami said

"That's beside the point!" Vivi said

Nami just spun the key around on her finger. "You need this key to the armory, don't you?"

"How did you get that key!?" Dalton asked real surprised that anyone could get their hands on it.

"I took it from that big mouth." Luffy said

"You did."

"Yeah, I took it during our fight. I thought it might come in handy for something." Luffy said

"You've got some guts giving me conditions. You're a rotten little girl." Kureha said.

Nami just laughed it off. Kureha took the key from Nami.

"Fine, I won't take any payment for treating you. But that's all. I cannot accept the second condition, as a doctor." Kureha put on her jacket and walked to the door before she turned around.

"Give it back if you won't accept both." Nami knew she was in the clear but she had to look like she was putting up some sort of fight.

"Listen, little girl. I'll be out for a while attending to some business. There's a coat in a chest of drawers in the next room. Nobody is keeping any sort of watch. Listen! Don't you dare run off on me! You guys come with me. I'm gonna need some muscle."

"So she wants me to put on a coat and get out of here." Nami said

"That's what I heard as well." Vivi said

A little while later the Straw hats and Vivi made their way outside.

"CHOPPER." Luffy yelled

Chopper walked over to the crew. They were waiting for their old friend to show up before they could leave. Usopp was playing in the snow.

"Are you going to join my crew?" Luffy asked

Chopper didn't say anything. He just walked over to Luffy. He wasn't sure what Chopper was going to say or do.

"I will go with you. I just have something to do before I leave." Chopper walked off into the castle. Twenty minutes later Chopper came running out of the castle with a sleigh in tow.

"Here he comes." Zoro said. "Why is she chasing him?" Zoro asked

"EVERYONE GET IN THE SLEIGH! WE'RE GOING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN" Chopper yelled. They all jumped on and soon after they on the ropeway making it down their way down the mountain. Sometime later the Straw Hats made their way off of the ropeway and took off for the Merry. Back on top of the mountain Kureha was watching as Chopper left home.

"Are you okay with him leaving like that?" Dalton asked

"What are you talking about, one of my pets just ran." Kureha said. She wasn't going to say it but she was sad and she was welling up a little bit. "Let's go we've got to going them a flashy farewell."

Soon they could hear the echo of the cannons firing off. Chopper stopped and went to look at what he knew was coming. It was the culmination of all of Dr. Hiluluks years of research. What they saw was all of the snow forming a sakura tree.

"Beautiful." Vivi said

The others didn't say anything but they were probably all thinking something along the same lines. For them it was the second time they saw this. But they knew it was just as beautiful this time as it was the first time they saw it. Like last time Chopper was crying. He was sad to go but he was excited to go out and explore the ocean once again. They stayed there for a while longer before they left and continued to head for the ship. Some time later they made it back to the ship. They found Carue floating in the river. Once out of the river Carue was brought inside.

"Carue what happened to you?" Vivi asked wrapping her duck in a few blankets. Carues quacks weren't normally understandable but with Chopper back that all changed.

"He says that Zoro was swimming in the river and disappeared. He thought Zoro was in trouble so he jumped into the river and froze." Chopper said

"So it was your fault!" Nami said hitting Zoro over the head.

"Chopper, you can understand what Carue is saying?" Vivi asked

"Yeah, I am an animal so I can understand what other animals are saying."

"That's incredible." Vivi said

**Back to the future Straw Hats watching through the portal**

"Well it was only a matter of time before Luffy learned the truth." Sanji said

"You know, it was probably good that he learned about it this way from Nami-san." Robin said

"You're right. Who knows how he would have reacted had anybody else told him." Brook said

"If he likes her as much we think he does he couldn't possibly be mad hearing it from Nami." Franky said

"I can't imagine he would be mad if any of us told him about their memories." Usopp said

"I can only wait to see what happens next." Brook said

"I hope you aren't thinking what I think your thinking." Nami said getting ready to punch him.

"Oh my, no Nami san. I don't mean anything intimate. I was just curious how it would go when they finally did talk about all of this." Brook said. But then he put his hand on his chin and started tapping his index finger against his jaw. "Well" Brook said thinking.

"If nothing else they will be glad to get this out in the open. I can only guess how acting ignorant about the things happening around you can be." Sanji said

"The one problem they will have is talking around Vivi. Once everything gets taken care of in Alabasta then and only then can they talk freely without having to worry about anyone learning something they aren't supposed to" Usopp said

"Chopper, how long did it take for Nami-san to get better the last time?" Sanji asked

"I stopped giving you the medicine a few days after we left Drum Kingdom. That sound about right Nami?" Chopper asked

"That does sound right. You told me to take it easy but I was okay to resume physical activities."

The Straw Hats could only imagine what kind of physical activity Nami might be involved with once she was cleared by Chopper this time. The two perverts got nose bleeds while the rest of the male just stared off into space. All except for Chopper for obvious reasons, As well as Zoro who had fallen asleep sometime ago. That was until arms from a certain raven haired archeologist sprouted on Zoro's shoulders and slapped the shit out of him.

"I'm awake, I'm awake." Zoro said standing up, yawning and rubbing his eye. He turned his head side to side looking around at the crew. He did his best to avoid staring at Robin but he knew she was scheming.

Robin just walked over to the swordsman, grabbed his hand and they started walking towards the exit of the cave. Soon enough they made their way back to the Sunny where they didn't even make it to the girls room before they started kissing and undressing each other.

"Well, I think we are better off leaving them alone for a while. I would hate to interrupt something. Especially considering we have no idea where on the ship they actually are." Nami said blushing. She was as red as the ruby encrusted scabbard of the sword Brook had picked up walking around the cave.

"I 100% agree. I am staying right here. I don't want to face the wrath of either of them right now. I think we all knew this was a long time coming." Franky said

The rest of the crew just nodded.

**Response to Reviews:**

**kentucky fan: **I am glad you enjoyed it. I hope you enjoy this one.

**gamelover41592: **Glad you thought it was good.

**Tsukino Aisuru - A: **Sorry this took so long.

**midnightscar17:** I hope you enjoy the next couple of chapters. I think it's been a long time coming.

**Shadow-DJ: **Glad to hear you are caught up. It's cool to ask if i need help on any future chapters.


	18. The journey to Alabasta

**Hello everyone. Here it is. It took way too long. I want to thank everyone who submitted a review. I have looked over everyones reviews. I will be adding to the bottom of this later. Thanks again for your patience I hope you enjoy. **

It was the morning after the Straw Hats left Drum Kingdom. Vivi and Carue were sleeping in. The night before the straw hats had celebrated another nakama joining the crew. Vivi and Carue were not accustomed to the types of parties the Straw Hats threw and were sleeping it off.

Meanwhile the Straw Hats were heading to the kitchen to talk. They all sat down around the table. At first no one was sure what to say. But the second in command stood up and began talking.

"I think we all know why we are here today." Zoro said. Nobody said anything. "Our captain went and did something crazy. Normally Luffy just acts goofy and ends up getting us into some sort of trouble. Well this time it's a hell of a lot crazier. He traveled into the past. What's worse is that he traveled into the past on a whim. We understand it was to save someone important to you. We all wish we could have saved someone close to us. But just what were you thinking?"

Luffy sat there quietly for a few moments just thinking. Soon enough he spoke up. "I want to apologize for making you guys go through your childhoods again. But knowing what I do. I know that I will be strong enough to prevent Ace from dying this time. Going back into the past was the most selfish thing I have ever done. I did this without any thoughts of the repercussions and what would happen to you. I can't apologize enough for doing something so crazy. I can only hope that you will be able to forgive me. But worst of all is that because of my selfishness you guys have to wait even longer for your dreams to come true."

The rest of the straw hats sat there with their arms crossed and just nodding their heads.

"We can be mad at you for doing something so damn stupid, but you won't get rid of us so easily. You keep life interesting on and off the ship. It wouldn't be any fun without you. I couldn't imagine being on any other crew. I know you picked us for various reasons but if it wasn't for you I would probably have died fighting Kuro. I'm glad that I am on this crew and nothing you do no matter how crazy is going to change that. I can't imagine having anyone else be my captain and my friend."

"Thank you Usopp. I'm so glad I got to meet you all once and I am glad that I will be able to get to enjoy Paradise with you before we head off into the New World."

"But knowing what we are up against we are still going to have a lot of work ahead of us." Sanji said

"But now that I think about I have a question for you guys." Luffy said

The five Straw Hats looked at each other then back to Luffy. They knew what he was going to ask. But they still humored him anyway.

"What would that be Luffy?" Nami asked

"How do you guys even know we have all done this before? And how do you know I did something so crazy?"

"You found a magic lamp with a spirit inside didn't you?" Usopp asked

"Yeah, I did."

"Well, we found and used the same lamp. We talked with the spirit inside for a while. He told us all about what you planned on doing." Usopp said

"Oh, ok. So how do you remember everything?" Luffy asked

"The spirit used his powers to copy our memories and knowledge. He used objects that were precious to us as mediums to transfer the information to the younger versions of ourselves in the past." Usopp said

"Think of it like this Luffy." Nami said "We are our older selves in our younger bodies. We have all of our knowledge of the future up to a point but we don't have the physical experience of taking on all of the enemies we had to fight to get there."

"Ok, I think I get it." Luffy said. "So Robin, Franky and Brook are just like you?" Luffy asked

"Yeah they are. All we will have to do is mention the item that was special to them and their latent memories and knowledge of the future comes flooding back to them." Sanji said

"Do you think your personalities are different from the first time around?" Luffy asked

"I don't think ours have changed too much." Nami said "But some of us might have changed more than others."

"Usopp you are definitely different." Nami said

"I don't feel different."

"I guess we will just have to wait and see if it's true or not."

"Well, regardless of what Luffy has done we have a while before we have to worry about that the War of the Best and Marineford. We have to get the rest of our crew back. We also have to deal with Crocodile, Getting to Sky Island, fighting Eneru, Water 7, Enies Lobby, CP9 and Thriller Bark before we get to Sabaody." Nami said

"I really did something stupid but it should be fun seeing how we stack up against our foes again." Luffy said

"I can't argue with you there." Zoro said

"Are you guys ready?" Luffy asked

"Yeah we are." Usopp, Nami and Chopper said

"Really, you guys are ready to train and fight?" Zoro asked

"Well yes and no. We will fight when we have to but we have another secret." Nami said

"Yeah and what is that?" Luffy asked

"We have our weapons from the future to help us."

"Really?"

"Yeah the older versions of ourselves who are probably still on Raftel were watching all of our adventures. They might still be watching us. But I guess they thought that giving us some help wouldn't be such a bad idea. The other older version of myself sent me two Sorcery Clima-tacts." Nami said

"I have my Kuro Kabuto as well as my Pop Greens."

"I have all that I need to modify my devil fruit and access various transformations. I am going to work hard so I might be able to use Monster Point somewhat effectively."

"Well, I guess we all have some work to do to get ready for our fights." Luffy said "Nami how much time do we have before we get to Alabasta?"

"It should be around six days."

"Alright, lets go outside and get started."

Everyone got up and went to get started working on various things. Usopp went down to the storeroom and got the lumber other stuff he had purchased back in Lougetown. He brought it to the side of the ship that would get enough sunlight and got to work building two gardens. One was for himself and the other for Nami's and her weather balls. Soon enough both were complete and filled with soil. Usopp filled his with the various Pop Greens for all sorts of situations.

"Nami, your garden is done."

"Thanks Usopp."

Zoro, Sanji and Luffy went out onto the main deck to work on their Haki. Last night Nami had told Chopper that their was a bag waiting for him. Since they had already talked with Luffy he went to grab his bag that was hidden in the storeroom. He also went to the guy's room and grabbed anything else he needed to grind up the various plants. He brought all of it to the back of the ship. He laid out the various plants on a tarp and pinned them to the deck so they could dry and wouldn't get blown away. With that done he went to watch Luffy beat up Zoro and Sanji.

"Alright are you ready?" Luffy asked

"Yeah, I'm ready but don't tell me you are going to blindfold us again and whack us with a stick." Zoro said

"We don't have a lot of room and we don't have a lot I can throw at you."

"Fine, whatever."

"Wait a second, what are you talking about?" Sanji asked

"When we were on Usopp's island this is how Luffy introduced haki training to us." Zoro said

"So this is just an excuse to hit us." Sanji said

"As I told them, this is how Rayleigh taught me."

"Fine." Sanji said taking a deep relaxing breath and blowing it out his nose.

"Good, now sit down and put these blindfolds on."

"Hold on, let me in on this." Usopp said

"You sure Usopp?"

"Well the sooner I get my Haki back the better."

"Alright then Usopp, take this and start whacking Sanji. Also don't be afraid to hurt him. It will be easier for him to pick up on your motions if you really intend to hurt him."

Zoro didn't have to say anything. Sanji could tell he was enjoying this. The only thing that would make it better was if he got to beat up Sanji himself.

'I will get to smack curly brow around sooner or later' Zoro thought to himself

'I will get to smack the stray marimo around sooner or later.' Sanji thought to himself

"Usopp, swing at Sanji from all directions and at different speeds."

"Got it." Usopp said and he began attacking Sanji. Luffy began attacking Zoro. Usopp caught Sanji off guard quite a few times and got a few good whacks in. The same was true for Luffy and Zoro. Both Sanji and Zoro did manage to dodge a few. Zoro dodged or got lucky a few more times than Sanji did. He didn't seem to be as effected by the blindfold. All while this was going on Vivi and Carue had woken up. Vivi made her way up from the room she shared with Nami. Carue followed Vivi up to the deck outside of the kitchen and they saw what was going on. They were more than shocked to see Luffy and Usopp standing over Zoro and Sanji. Both of whom had bumps of varying sizes on their heads. At the same time they were a little distraught to see Nami and Chopper not doing anything.

"Nami-san, what is going on?" Vivi asked stunned to see the crew beating on each other. "What did they do?" She asked

"Oh, they didn't do anything stupid yet today. This is training."

"What kind of training involves whacking your crew members?"

"Instead of me trying to explain it to you I think a demonstration would be better."

"If you say so." Vivi said unsure of what was going to happen.

"LUFFY."

"Yeah Nami."

"How do you feel about showing Vivi what you are trying to teach to these two?"

"Sure, I can do that. I think these two have had enough for now anyway."

Zoro and Sanji stood up and took off the blindfolds.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us." Zoro said

Sanji didn't say anything. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, pulled out the lighter and lit it. He took a puff and blew the smoke out in rings. "I hate to say it but I agree. To build up our strength is going to take time." He said

Zoro handed his blindfold to Luffy and he put it on. "We will get to your training after this Usopp." Luffy said

Usopp just nodded and went up to watch with everyone else. Zoro and Sanji stayed down below to help.

"This is what I am trying to teach them Vivi." Luffy said. "Go ahead and don't hold back but just be careful. We don't want to damage the ship."

Zoro took out two of his three swords and began attacking Luffy. But Luffy almost effortlessly dodged every attack Zoro could throw at him. Sanji joined in but didn't do any better. Vivi just stared at them with her mouth open wide. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Luffy was making them look foolish. They couldn't even land one single attack. They soon stopped as they figured they weren't going to be able to hit him. Not yet at least.

"What do you think Vivi?" Nami asked

"That is just incredible."

Carue squacked and continued to squack for a little bit. Chopper translated for everyone.

"Carue said wow over and over. Were you two even trying?"

"Of course we were trying you damn bird." Zoro said

"Luffy has been practicing for years." Nami said

"How many years?" Vivi asked

"More than ten" Luffy said

"That is a long time Luffy-san."

Just to make Zoro and Sanji look even worse he was walking around with the blindfold on. He had no trouble making his way around the ship. He even walked on the banister where the rest of the crew was watching. At this point he was just showing off. As if it wasn't already clear that he didn't need to see to make his way around the ship.

"You know what? This isn't a bad idea." Luffy said

"What are you talking about?" Usopp asked

"Unless Nami says so you are to wear these all the time."

"WHAT" They yelled in unison

"Wait, why me?" Nami asked

"Well, you are the navigator. If the weather is like this it's no problem. But there are three exceptions. If we sail into a storm, when Sanji is cooking and when Zoro is weight training."

"You know that's not such a bad idea." Sanji said "I mean coming from Luffy it's pretty damn intelligent."

"Usopp how about we start your…" Luffy's stomach growled loud enough for everyone to hear. He just rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sounds like it's time for breakfast." Sanji said. He walked up the stairs, into the kitchen and started prepping for breakfast.

"After breakfast sound good Usopp?"

"That's fine with me. It will give me sometime to get used to walking around with a blindfold."

Usopp got another piece of cloth, ripped it and tied it around his head. He started walking around the perimeter of the ship. He extended his arm so his hand would just barely touch the wall. He worked his way around the boat several times. Once he had an idea of how it felt to walk around with a blindfold on he tried to go about his usual business on the boat.

Walking around on the boat blindfolded wasn't easy. But then again he had a pretty good understanding of the layout of the Merry. There were few obstacles on board the ship that would cause them trouble. This training may have worked for Luffy when Rayleigh taught him. But Luffy had a huge island he was unfamiliar with to walk around on. Doing this kind of training on a ship no matter the scale was going to be difficult. There would just never be enough room. For now whacking them over the head would have to suffice.

While Sanji was working in the kitchen the rest of the crew one by one made their way inside. Eventually Usopp made his way in and took off the blindfold. He found an open seat and sat down.

"What did you think Usopp?" Luffy asked

"It wasn't easy, but I know the layout of this ship pretty well."

"Yeah, I figured that trying to do this on a ship would be a problem. When I learned this I had a whole island to explore."

"So does that mean we are going to have to resort to us hitting each other with sticks?" Usopp asked

"Probably."

"I really don't like that idea Luffy." Sanji said

"I figured you wouldn't. But that is how it's going to have to be for now."

"It is to help us get stronger, to get us ready for even stronger enemies, ero-cook."

"I know that you stray marimo."

"This may not be the best way but it is all we have room for. So for now that is what we are going to have to do."

"You know now that I really think about it walking around blindfolded on a boat may not be a good use of time. We are going to have to figure something else out."

"How are you guys ok with getting hit?" Vivi asked

"You saw what Luffy could do right Vivi?" Nami asked

"Well, yes I did."

"You don't have to worry about the idiots. They are going to do whatever they want."

"Yes, that seems like it is the case."

"Chopper, you're going to be have to be ready to bandage the idiots up."

"I will do what I can for them. But something tells me they will not keep their bandages on for very long.

"Nami-swan, Vivi-chan your breakfast is done." Sanji said placing plates in front of the ladies. "Here's your breakfast you bastards."

The straw hats didn't say much about the training while they were eating breakfast. They really couldn't they were doing their best to protect their food from Luffy. Sometime later all of the food Sanji cooked was gone. Usopp and Luffy went outside and started training.

"Are you ready Usopp?"

"No, but lets get started."

Usopp sat down and covered his eyes with the piece of cloth.

"Alright, go ahead."

Luffy began swinging randomly at Usopp. He was having just as much trouble as Zoro and Sanji had. Over the course of an hour or so everyone eventually gathered outside of the kitchen to watch Luffy beat the crap out of Usopp. It was far from pretty but Usopp was also able to dodge a few of the whacks.

"What do you think Usopp? Have you had enough?"

"I think I've had enough for now."

Hearing that everyone disbanded and started to head off to do whatever they wanted.

"You did good for only having done this once before."

Usopp walked over to Luffy and put a hand on his shoulder.

He whispered "You know, I'm surprised my Haki isn't working like it was when we made it to the end of the New World. I understand it being weaker but almost non existent is kind of annoying."

"It might be because of the difference in your attitude. You were more confident in your abilities then. You are much more confident than you were the first time around. It has to be all in your head. And possibly making sense of all of the new information."

"That seems as possible as anything else. But if that's the case I'm not sure how long it will take for everything to process."

"I doubt something like this has ever happened. We are just going to have to give it some time. Until then we will continue to practice."

"I'm not going to like it but I agree. The sooner the better."

"I'm curious Usopp."

"About what?"

"What was it on Dressrosa that brought your Haki to the surface?"

"Do you want to know?"

"Yeah, I do want to know."

"Okay. Do you remember when you and Law were in the castle just before you went to fight Doflamingo?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Do you remember when the little girl fell down unconscious?"

Luffy just nodded his head.

"Well her ability would have made everyone forget you."

"Everyone?"

"Yeah, anyone who had ever heard of you wouldn't have been able to remember anything about you."

"That sucks."

"Yeah, that is what helped me get the shot right. I couldn't imagine a life on the sea without you. If you were touched no one on the whole crew would've…" Luffy covered Usopps mouth with his hand.

"I get it Usopp. A lot would have changed."

Usopp nodded.

"So the next-time we are training try thinking of that. Who knows it might work."

After that Usopp walked off and went to do whatever else he had to do to get ready for their fight in Alabasta. Luffy walked up the stairs to the front of the ship and went over and sat on the figurehead of the Merry. The rest of the morning and the early afternoon were rather uneventful. Chopper was working on making his modified rumble balls. Nami and Vivi were relaxing in the sun while Carue was napping. Zoro was training with an absurd amount of weight. Sanji was waiting on the girls. Usopp was working in his garden.

Earlier after Usopp finished his training with Luffy, Chopper asked him to make a small garden for his plants. He had enough material to left over to make a small garden for Chopper's plants. Lunch and dinner were equally uneventful except for the fact that was Luffy stealing food from whoever wasn't paying attention.

Once dinner was done the straw hats were out on the front deck of Merry. They were telling Vivi of their adventures up to this point or more specifically only the ones leading up to Alabasta. One by one the crew began to call it a night. Chopper, Vivi, Carue, Usopp, Sanji and Finally Zoro. That just left Nami and Luffy alone. Nami was up in the crow's nest for her shift on night watch while Luffy was still sitting on the figurehead looking out into the darkness. Some time passed and Nami made her way down from the crow's nest. She walked over to Luffy who was still sitting there.

"You still awake Luffy?"

"Huh…Yeah I'm still awake. Just thinking." Luffy said turning around and getting off of the figurehead.

"I can only imagine what you are thinking about."

"Just if this was a good idea or not."

"Well, either way we are here and there is no way to change it. So we have to make the best of it. But being back here in Paradise isn't so bad is it?"

"No, it's not so bad. Going back gave me plenty of time to think."

"Well yeah. You had ten years to think about all of the things we are going to do. Do you regret going back into the past?"

"No, but it's going to be weird doing everything again. I didn't want to have a boring adventure. Do remember when we met Rayleigh and we went to Shakky's bar? Usopp asked if the One Piece was real. I wasn't too happy about that. But know that I know its real I just have to follow the path from before. It may not be as fun as the first time but who knows. We might find new ways to entertain ourselves. But there is one thing I know. We will be stronger going into Sabaody this time."

"That may be true but what are we going to do about being separated and spending two years apart?"

"As much as I hated being away from everyone it was and will likely be for the best. We all trained very hard to so that we would be as strong as possible. We are going to need that time just as much to prepare. The New World is going to be just as unforgiving maybe more so. We won't know until we get there. We are going to have to be ready."

"Being apart for so long was awful. But you are right. I just hope everyone agrees. But because we were separated you were able to make it there. You were able to gather so many allies from just showing up there."

"Yeah, some who became more important than others. I wonder how Jinbe and Iva-chan are doing?"

"Didn't Ivankov escape with you from Impel Down?"

"Yeah he did. But I think that's enough about that for now."

"Yeah we can't really be talking about something that's yet to happen especially with someone who doesn't know about any of it in ear shot."

"Agreed. What did you come down here for any way Nami?"

Nami didn't say anything she just stood there for a moment before she began talking. "I had to stretch. I couldn't just sit up there for too long. I would have fallen asleep."

"You know I have been having a tough time sleeping at night. I keep thinking about everything we have to do, all the enemies we have to face. But at the same time I keep thinking of all of the people we might or might not meet. But I guess I have already changed the future. I guess we can't worry about what hasn't happened yet. We can only deal with the consequences of what changes when it does."

"You really have thought about this haven't you?" Nami asked

"Oh come on, did you really think I was that stupid?" Luffy said pouting.

"No…" Nami said as she covered her mouth with the back of her hand to prevent a laugh from escaping. "You're too cute."

"Come on Nami, I'm not cute. I'm a man."

"Whatever you say Captain."

Luffy yawned and rubbed his eye. "I'm going to try and get some sleep, Goodnight Nami."

"Goodnight."

Luffy just started walked over toward Nami and kissed her on the cheek. He wasn't exactly sure why he did it but he did it. He was about to continue walking but he didn't make it anywhere before Nami grabbed him. Nami kissed him on the lips, chuckled and walked away with her fingers intertwined behind her. She turned her head, stuck her tongue out and walked away to head back up to the crow's nest for the next few hours. Luffy walked down to the guy's room and went to bed.

Just a few moments ago in the guys room Sanji stirred in his sleep. "shitty rubber." Sanji mumbled before he rolled over and started getting into an argument with Zoro while the two were still asleep.

The next few days for the Straw Hats were uneventful. Luffy continued to beat the crap out of Usopp, Sanji and Zoro. They trained in both Kenbunshoku and Busoshoku Haki. The morning they were to finally get to Alabasta all of the Straw Hats were awake and going about their own business while they were sailing. Everyone was outside except for Sanji who was working in the kitchen. Luffy and Usopp were fishing using Carue as bait. Off in the distance they could see what looked like fog. Luffy was silently excited when he remembered who should be on the other side of the fog. As they continued to sail through the fog the weight on the fishing rods suddenly increased. Once they were out of the fog they could see Bon Clay holding onto Carue.

"Why am I holding onto this spot billed duck?"

"Who the hell are you?" Luffy and Usopp asked

Mr. 2 let go of Carue and fell into the water below.

"Help me! Please! I'm a hammer and I can't swim." Bon Clay said as he sank

Luffy stretched his arm and found the semi-unconscious ballerina in the water. He retracted his arm and pulled the soaked ballerina onto the deck of the Merry. After a moment or two Bon Clay coughed up the water he had swallowed and sat up.

"Oh…I thought it was all over. I can't believe that my life has been saved by pirates that I don't even know. I will never forget this kindness."

"You can't swim can you?" Luffy asked already knowing the answer

"You're right I ate a Devil Fruit."

"Really which one?" Usopp asked again already knowing very well what his power could do.

"I suppose there's no need to rush while I wait for my ship to come get me. I might as well put on a show! Prepare to witness my ability." Bon Clay got up and walked over to Luffy and proceeded to hit him in the face sending him back into the wall.

Zoro drew his swords more habitually than to prepare for a fight. He knew they weren't in any real danger.

"Waaaaait, Waaaaait, Waaaaait! I told you I was putting on a show."

"It's me." He looked exactly like Luffy.

"Surprised you! Surprised you! Surprised you!" Bon Clay said laughing.

"When I touch myself with my left hand I change back to normal. This is the ability I gained from eating the Mane Mane no mi!"

"He was an exact copy!" Usopp said

Bon Clay walked by and touched everyone's faces. Their was no harm in allowing this to happen so the crew just watched.

"Well, there really is no need to hit anybody though. Hi! Look at me! If I touch my fac …with my right hand (Zoro)…I can imitate aaanyone(Chopper)…Just like this! Even the body!"(Nami) Mr. 2 said as he opened his robe and flashed Usopp, Chopper and Luffy. Usopp and Chopper were surprised. This actually earned a real response from Luffy this time. It was just a little nose bleed and it wasn't just because Usopp was near him.

"Knock it off." Nami hit him leaving a large bump.

"Ouch! Well, now…I'm sorry to say that I shouldn't show you any more of my ability than…"

"You're awesome! Do some more!"

"Ah! Really, I guess I have no choice! Wanna see some more?"

"Show us! Show us!"

"How can they just go along with this?" Nami asked Zoro who was sitting against the side of the ship.

"Show us! Show us!"

"Very well! I'm gonna show you something special! My memory ability!"

Bon Clay touched his face three times and he picked three random faces. The fourth time is what got Vivi's attention. It was her father's face. She was more than shocked to see that the face of the king of a country was in the hands of this ballerina. He touched his face once more to a random face then back to normal. All the while Usopp, Chopper and Luffy were cheering him on and acting like idiots.

"How can they be entertained by this?" Zoro asked

"So what did you think of my performance? I don't usually show this to people."

Usopp, Chopper, Luffy and Bon Clay started doing the can-can. They were once again acting like the idiots they were. "There's my ship" Bon Clay jumped on to the railing of the Merry. "The time has come for us to part. How tragic"

"Please don't go!" Usopp said

"Don't be sad! Journeys and partings go hand in hand. But remember this. To true friendship…how long you've known each other means nothing! Don't cry for me!" Bon Clay said as he jumped from the Merry to the Swanda

"We'll see you again!" Luffy yelled. 'It was good seeing Bon-chan again even though he is an enemy. I never did find out what happened to him after we escaped from Impel Down. I hope he was ok.' Luffy thought

"Let's go men!"

"Aye! Mr. 2, Bon Clay-sama!" The crew of the Swanda said as they sailed away.

"That was… Mr. 2, Bon Clay!" Vivi said

"Vivi! Didn't you recognize him?"

"No…I've never met Mr. 2 or the Mr. 1 pair before…I don't even know their abilities."

'We know their abilities.' Zoro, Nami, Usopp and Sanji thought.

"But I did hear the rumors. They said he is a flamboyant ballerina with a loud voice…who wears a swan coat…with the words Bon Clay written on the back."

"You should have noticed." Zoro, Usopp, and Luffy said

"What's wrong Vivi?" Luffy asked

"Just then…among those faces he showed from his memory… My father's face was in his memory! The face of the King of Alabasta, Nefertari Cobra."

"That's quite a handy ability, being able to impersonate a King. You could pull off and get away with some pretty nasty things." Zoro said

"After he discovers that we are his enemies he can use that memory of his to impersonate any one of us. We won't be able to trust our own nakama." Nami said

"Well then it's a good thing we met him when we did. I've got an idea. Oi, love cook get your ass out here." Zoro said

"What the hell was that you shitty swordsman?"

With everyone outside Zoro went over the plan for Vivi. The rest of the crew knew what he was planning. It worked last time so why not let him have the glory again. Sanji was steaming for not coming up with it sooner but he stayed inside so that they would once again have an ace. Just like last time they all put an X on their arms and wrapped it in a white piece of cloth. By the time they were done with that they ran into a large, white Sea Cat. Vivi told them they couldn't eat it and whacked the monster trio. After a few more hours of sailing they could finally see Alabasta off in the distance.

"Look at all the ships." Usopp said "Do they all belong to Baroque Work!"

"The employees have started to gather. Those are probably the Billions. They are the subordinates of the numbered officer agents. Moreover, They are 200 of Baroque Works' elite. They are on a different level from the bounty hunters on Whiskey Peak."

"200? That's our first real challenge since we got to the Grand Line." Nami said

"That's all." Zoro said "They are the small fries."

"We can't lose sight of our true goal. We can't waste time there are only eight of us." Sanji said

They continued on sailing past the ships. They continued to get closer to the island. "Our first stop is going to be at a port called Nanohana. We are going to have to hide the ship." Vivi said

'Ace, I get to see you again.' Luffy thought

"From now on what ever happens remember that the mark on our left arms is the mark of a nakama." Luffy said

**Back to the future Straw Hats watching through the portal**

"Alright, I've had enough. I can't stand watching anymore." Zoro said

"I agree, it was fun watching for a while but we have done this all once before. It's bad enough that they have to live it again. But that doesn't mean we have to watch it all again." Usopp said

"I want to continue our journey as much as anyone here. But what do we do about Luffy?" Nami asked

"Oh I thought you would never ask." The ghost said

"What does that mean?" Sanji asked

"It means it's about time we get your captain out of the rift."

"WHAT THE FUCK!" The Straw Hats yelled

"I thought you sent Luffy-san back in time." Brook said

"Well, technically I did. His real body is suspended in between time. Think of it this way. It's a more direct and effective route than what you guys had me do for you." The ghost snapped his fingers and a portal opened. A moment later Luffy walked out of the portal and scratched the back of his neck.

"Well, that was interesting." Luffy said "I thought I was sent back in time. The second I walked in time froze and another me walked through the portal to the past. I saw everything that happened on both sides. It looks like I have…" Luffy was interrupted. Nami ran over to him, jumped into his arms, she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. She finally got a chance to kiss him and she wasn't going to let the idiot go again. Luffy grabbed her ass pushed her up and deepened the kiss.

"It's about time." Robin said laughing

"I think I am going to have some work to do to remodel the Sunny." Franky said


	19. Alabasta part 1, The return of Ace

As the Straw Hats sailed ever closer to the Island of Alabasta and the city of Nanohana they all began to think about what they did on the island last time. They had a general idea of the powers of the foes they fought here. But so much had happened since then there was no way they would remember every little detail. It's just not possible. But being able to recall things from their memories would give them an advantage in Paradise. Thanks to Luffy's training they would become stronger than they were. It will help them get stronger faster but having memories of your techniques from the future won't hurt either. But they aren't strong enough to use them yet.

While everyone was going about their business Luffy spoke up. It was a moment of sheer genius that was rare for the Luffy of the past. But not the Luffy they were following this time. He seemed more focused, still a pain in the ass and crazy but still more focused. It was weird. "Is there anything we should know about this island in advance Vivi? Like about the plants and wildlife?" Luffy asked.

'Thinking about stuff in advance and not running in blind. This is gonna take some time to get used to. What the hell did he do to change?' Nami asked herself

"Well, yes. There are quite a few dangerous plants and poisonous creatures that live out in the desert." Vivi said matter of factly. "We are going to have to traverse an expansive desert. We won't be able to do that in these clothes. We are going to have to buy clothes more suitable for the extreme temperature swings that we will experience in the desert. From blistering hot during the day to below freezing at night."

"Well this is going to be fun." Usopp said

"Oh and you can't forget the possibility that we walk right into a sandstorm."

"This country is pretty dangerous isn't it?" Chopper asked

"It can be if you aren't prepared." Vivi said

"So that's why we are going to Nanohana first?" Nami asked

"Yes, without supplies the journey will be impossible."

Some time later the Straw Hats dropped the anchor on the coast far enough outside of the city limits. The crew was looking around that's when a certain ship was spotted.

"Oh great look at that." Nami said

Everyone turned to look at what Nami was pointing at. "Oh great, that idiot Mr. 3 is here." Zoro said

"Well we still have to get supplies. If we walk around he will recognize us if we run into him. But he never saw you Sanji-kun and Chopper hadn't joined us yet." Nami said

"Speaking of being recognized I can't just walk around as I am. I will need some sort of disguise. The moment Carue &amp; I start walking around the citizens will recognize us."

"That's no problem leave it to me." Usopp said

In under 15 minutes Usopp had a crude green cloak for Vivi and one for Carue.

"Thank you Usopp-san. That is going to be perfect. The less conspicuous we are the faster we can get this done and move on to our next destination, the Yuba Oasis northwest of here."

Hearing the name Yuba the Straw Hats began thinking. They didn't remember all the details of their trip here years ago. But they did remember a few important things. The rebel army troops moved some time ago from their base in Yuba to somewhere else. Also the Yuba Oasis had been barraged with sandstorms. Now their was only one person still living in Yuba. He was a stubborn old man who was trying to do right by the king and restore the city to its former glory.

They knew Vivi was against the loss of life but their was only so much they could do. This was supposed to be their first time on the island. Their was no way could just tell her all of this. They would have a tough time coming up with plausible lies. But they were certain of one thing. Crocodile had to be defeated and it would have to somewhere a lot of people had gathered. There unfortunately was only one place that fit that description. It would have to be in the plaza, which was conveniently where the rebels and the army would gather. It also happens to be above the Nefertari crypt.

With that the Straw Hats, Vivi and Carue got off of the boat and went about their business. At this point in their adventure Luffy wasn't really well known yet. He had a bounty on his head but it wasn't impressive nor was it worth remembering. He walked around town without a care in the world. All the while Vivi and Carue were wearing crude cloaks to avoid drawing any attention to themselves. No one really gave them a second look as the crew of eight walked around. After some walking they found a place on the edge of the city to rest. It was a partially destroyed building. Conveniently enough it was the same place they stopped the first time they were there. The side facing the city was more or less intact so they were out of sight. If anyone was to leave to walk around the town they would regroup here before they all went back to the ship.

"It looks like no one recognized you Vivi." Nami said as Vivi took off her cloak.

Vivi didn't say anything. But everyone had a good idea what she was thinking about.

"Something the matter Vivi-chan? You'll be safe here for the time being." Sanji said. But there was no response from her. "Vivi-chan" Sanji said one more time snapping Vivi out of whatever was on her mind.

"Yes, yes, what is it?"

"What's wrong?" Sanji asked

"I'm sorry, I was just thinking. While I was walking around the city, everyone and everything still seemed fine. I can't truly be at ease while Crocodile is in power, but as long as the people are safe that makes this a little easier." 

"They didn't look like too worried to me." Nami said

"Vivi, you said you had a plan to stop the rebellion, right?" 

Vivi nodded and Zoro continued.

"What's the next step? What do we have to do? If we can still save them, we have to take action soon. Right?"

"Yes, that's true. But you only promised to take me as far as Alabasta and…"

"Enough." Nami said hitting Vivi on the forehead. "I can't believe you're still talking like that." 

"Nami-san."

"We've sailed together all the way here. You think we're just gonna abandon you now?" 

"She's right Vivi. Don't get all distant on us now." Usopp said

"That's right Vivi." Luffy said "We're not going anywhere."

"Thank you everyone."

"Now who is going to go shopping to get our supplies?" Nami asked "Sanji-kun since Mr. 3 won't recognize you, can you go get what we will need for our trip across the desert?"

"Hai, Nami-swan" Sanji said

"I was going to have you take Chopper with you but, he might not be much help."

Chopper was already laying down in the shade relaxing. The heat was pretty unbearable he was going to need his strength for later. "I will be back here in an hour." Sanji said before he walked off to take care of their business.

"I will be back I am going to find something to eat." Luffy said 'I need to find Ace. He should be around here somewhere. Smokey should be around here as well.' Luffy thought as he walked off and disappeared into the crowded streets.

As Sanji was walking around he got distracted by the dancer girls. Once he got his head on straight he got to work. In no time he had a majority of the shopping done for their trek across the desert. But of course Sanji being Sanji he couldn't not get distracted just walk around. Also he couldn't resist ogling several of the pretty girls walking around. Eventually he made his way back to the rest of the crew.

"Any problems Sanji-kun." Nami asked

"None, well I saw some marines walking around but no one we need to worry about."

"Good, now we just have to wait for that idiot to come back." Nami said. "So what did you get us to wear?" Nami asked

Sanji pulled out two bags and handed them to the girls. "Here you go Nami-san, Vivi-chan." Nami and Vivi went to change into their outfits. While they were gone Sanji tossed bags to the other guys. The girls came back wearing similar dancing girl outfits to last time. In the same time the guys had put on their clothes to protect them from the sun.

"Sanji-san." Vivi said

"Hai… Vivi-chawn."

"I asked you to get clothes like the citizens wear." 

"Dancer girls are citizens, too!" Sanji said "They look lovely on you." Sanji said with hearts in his eyes.

"But these clothes aren't going to protect us from the sun."

Sanji was letting his perverted side run wild while Vivi was talking to him.

"Don't bother talking to him when he gets like this." Nami said "I will get us something to protect us from the sun."

"Alright, so we've got pretty much all the stuff we need so now we can get on with our original goal, right?" Usopp asked "You said we were heading to Yuba next."

"Yes. That's right. But to get there we have to cross the desert. It may prove a more formidable journey than any of you can imagine. Potential danger over every sand dune. There is no way to guarantee you survive out on that land of scorching sand. I still have worries about taking everyone through such a place, but I want to restore peace to this country. So… So, I would like to make another request. Everyone! Please lend me your strength!"

"You finally said it. We've been waiting for it." Nami said

"Not knowing what's gonna happen next is just like sailing on the sea Vivi-chan."

"Yeah, nothing we haven't dealt with before." Zoro said

"Now, we just have to wait for Luffy." Nami said "We have some time to kill before that idiot comes back. If you go walk around, or stay here I don't care just don't go to far. With the marines walking around it's only a matter of time before Luffy gets spotted and we have to make a break for it."

Nami walked off to get a little shopping done for Vivi and herself.

Meanwhile in another part of town a man wearing black shorts, an orange cowboy hat with goggles resting on the brim. One had a smiling face the other a frowning face. A tattoo on his left arm ACE written out vertically. But most notably was the large tattoo on his back. It was a symbol even the people near the beginning of the Grand Line knew. Between his shoulder blades is a large purple skull and crossbones with a big white mustache and a big grin below it. The symbol of Edward Newgate better known as Whitebeard and one of the Yonko.

"Have you seen him?" Ace unrolled the wanted poster in his hand and asked a man walking by if he had seen Monkey D. Luffy. The man shrugged and walked off. Ace continued to walk around asking people. But no one had seen the young man wearing a straw hat. He eventually made his way to a restaurant to get something to eat. Sometime later during a conversation he fell asleep eating. The people inside the restaurant thought he died. People started gathering outside the restaurant. They were trying to figure out what was going on inside. The people inside Spice Bean assumed the young man died while eating because days prior he must have eaten a poisonous desert strawberry. But then he picked his head up out if his meal.

"Damn…I fell asleep."

"YOU FELL ASLEEP?!" The towns people yelled with shark teeth surprised and irritated.

"That's not possible. How could you fall asleep in the middle of a conversation? One person said

"And he just starts chewing again." Another said

"What are you guys all worked up over?" Ace asked

"WE WERE WORRIED ABOUT YOU!" Some people said

"What are you guys comedians or something?"

"Well, no… But I'm glad you're okay." The owner of the restaurant said

Ace was about to take another bite but once again fell face first into his meal.

"OI, DON'T FALL BACK TO SLEEP!" some people yelled with shark teeth

The crowd outside walked away once they found out that a patron didn't die while eating. As Smoker was walking by he saw the crowd of people disperse from in front door of the restaurant. When he walked in he was surprised to see who was sitting at the counter eating with out a care.

"I guess you don't have a problem with eating in public. Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates Portgas D. Ace." 

"W…Whitebeard!? The Whitebeard Pirates!?" The owner of the restaurant said terrified

"That dumbass is part of the Whitebeard Pirates?"

"I knew I'd seen that mark on his back before."

"It's definitely the mark of the Whitebeard Pirates!"

"Why is he here?" One customer said

"What business does an infamous pirate like you have in this country?" Smoker asked

"I'm searching for my little brother." Ace said as he turned around to look at Smoker.

Meanwhile outside Luffy was walking around town. When he sensed Ace and Smoker in the same restaurant he started running.

Back inside the restaurant Ace started talking.

"So then… What should I do?"

"Sit there and let me arrest you." 

"Denied. I'd rather not."

"Well that's what I expected. Right now, I'm looking for a different pirate. I'm not really interested in taking you in." 

"Then let me go." 

"I can't do that." Smoker said as part of his right arm turned to smoke. "As long as I'm a marine and you're a pirate." 

"What a dumb reason. Shall we have some fun then?" Ace said as he turned his fist into fire. 

"Gomu Gomu no Rocket." Luffy said as he went flying into the building. He bumped into Smoker who bumped into Ace and the two of them went flying through the wall of the restaurant and through at least five more buildings both front and back until they stopped. The people inside the restaurant looked at the giant people sized holes in the buildings. They then turned to look at the idiot who was sitting at the counter without a care in the world. The people had their mouths open wide. They didn't want to know what would happen to the idiot who hurt a Whitebeard pirate a division commander no less and a Marine.

"I finally found a restaurant." Luffy said excited. "Now I can eat all I want. Ossan! Food, food, food!" Luffy said sitting at an open stool. Not long after Ace and Smoker went through the wall of the restaurant the owner put out a lot of food for Luffy.

"You should probably get the hell out of here." The owner said

"Now why would I do that?"

"Do you know exactly who you just sent flying?"

"Sent flying? Who did that?"

"You did" The owner said pointing to the holes in the wall

"What's with those holes?"

While Luffy and the restaurant owner were talking Ace and Smoker were getting up.

"Who the hell did that?" Ace said

"What the hell?" Smoker said

"What's the big idea?" Ace said walking through the holes in the walls. But then he stopped to apologize to the people whom he had disturbed during their meal. He continued on to the restaurant. A short walk through another building and he was almost back to where he started. "Who was the freaking idiot that did that? Jeez." Ace said. Then he noticed who was sitting there stuffing his face. "Lu…! Hey Luf!" was all Ace was able to say before Smoker shoved his head into the ground. 

"MUGIWARA"

Luffy took a break from eating to talk. "Hey, Smokey what are you doing here?"

"I've been looking for you, Mugiwara."

Luffy went back to eating. But Smoker yelled at him "STOP EATING!"

Luffy stuffed his face with as much food as he could before he got up and ran out the door. "WAIT" Smoker yelled as he chased him out of the restaurant.

"Wait, Luffy! It's me!" Ace said running out the door. "Hey, wait. Oi! Luffy!"

While Luffy was running he was thinking. 'I know this is the Grand Line. But I still need to be careful with who I use Haki on. I don't really need to use Haki on most of the people on the Grand Line. Smokey and Crocodile are really the only two logia I have to worry about for now.'

As they were running smoker yelled "TASHIGI"

"Yes, what is it, Captain Smoker?"

"Catch him! It's Mugiwara." Smoker said. Tashigi ran at him and tried to attack him. But he jumped over her, stretched his arm and pulled himself up and onto the roof of a building. Smoker's legs turned to smoke as he attempted to follow Luffy.

"Tashigi, call an emergency gathering of all Marines! Search every inch of this town for the other Straw Hat Pirates!" Smoker yelled as he chased Luffy across rooftops. 

"How are you doing back there Smokey?"

"White Snake." Smoker said extending his arm, trying to catch Luffy. "Mugiwara, why did you come to this country? What are you after?"

"What? I came here to beat the crap outta Crocodile!" 

"What? Crocodile?" Smoker asked still chasing him. "What kind of connection do you have to Crocodile?" Smoker asked

"None" Luffy said before he disappeared.

Smoker noticed Luffy running the other way. Smoker stopped and turned to chase after him. Luffy ran around the town randomly just to confuse the Marines and have a little fun while doing so. But without using Gear Second he wasn't going to lose them. He ran back towards the crew while the Marines were chasing him. They had all of their stuff packed up on the off chance Luffy would do something stupid again. In no time flat they were all set and started to run for it. Smoker almost caught up to Luffy and crew before they could get too far. But like clockwork Ace showed and got in between the Straw Hats and the Marines.

"White Blow"

"Kagerou"

Ace and Smoker's attacks cancelled each other out.

"You may be smoke, but I am fire. With our abilities a fight would be pointless."

"Ace" Luffy said.

"How do you always end up in trouble?" Ace asked "Luffy why don't you guys take off, I will catch up to you later."

With that the Straw hats started running away. Strangely enough everyone looked happy. No one said anything as they were running away so Vivi did.

"Luffy-san do you know him?" Vivi asked

"Yeah, he's my big brother."

They all put on a shocked expression but they all knew. He was the reason they went back in time. If Luffy doesn't do something between now and the end of Marineford all of this would be for naught. After the incident in Dressrosa while they were resting in Kyros's house Sabo told Franky, Zoro and Robin what happened to him. Luffy and Sabo met up a few times after their encounter in Dressrosa. He finally got the chance to tell him why he never came back. He told Luffy that he had lost his memories. He couldn't even remember his own name. Unfortunately what brought it all back was Ace's death, the mention of Luffy's name and the word sakazuki. So Luffy passed the information on to Ace. Well the part about Sabo having a head injury and not remembering a majority of his past. He figured that Ace might be able to look for Sabo since he was going to the Grand Line first.

While the Straw Hats were running Luffy was running backward watching the show Ace and Smoker were putting on in the sky. Luffy being Luffy he was separated from the group but this time on purpose. While the display in the sky and below cleared Ace made his escape. A little while later the Straw Hats made it back to the Merry sans Luffy. Vivi made her way back onto the ship and down to the room she shared with Nami. She grabbed a piece paper and brought it outside. She got off the boat and went over to Carue.

"Carue, I have a job for you, a job that only you can do."

"Quack?"

"Head north to Alubarna and deliver this letter to my father. This has all the information Igaram and I dug up while we were undercover. It has all the information about Baroque Works and Crocodile. I've written down how I'm still alive and how I will return with reliable friends. Can you do it? You'll have to cross the desert all alone." 

"Quack!"

"Just remember to conserve your water in the desert."

"Quack."

"Then hurry and send word to my father that we can still save this country."

"Quaaack!"

Carue took of for Alubarna but abruptly stopped to take a big gulp of water. He then took off and was soon out of sight.

Meanwhile Luffy set down the barrel of water he was carrying and sat on it to wait for Ace. Not long after Ace dropped down out of the sky a few feet in front of Luffy.

"How did you manage to get lost?" Ace asked

"What are you talking about? I was waiting for you here. You never did get the hang of Kenbunshoku." Luffy said teasingly. "I figured this would be easier."

"Hey, I finally got the hang of it." Ace said

"Of course you did."

"I did, how do you think I found you."

"Well it took you long enough."

"Hey who is the older brother here? I am supposed to be teasing you, you bastard."

"I know. I just couldn't resist. But it's awesome to see you again Ace? I see the symbol on your back. That's Whitebeard's mark isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's the old man's mark. He took me in even after I tried to kill him."

"Did you have any luck finding Sabo?"

"Not really. I heard rumors about kingdoms occasionally falling. There was very little about their movements and really nothing solid enough to go on. Where ever their base is it might not even have a magnetic signature to lock onto making following the log pointless."

Luffy sat there with his arms crossed and his head tilted to the side thinking.

"Sorry, too much for you?"

"No, I get it. It just sucks that it's going to be harder than I thought to find him." Luffy got up and put the barrel under his arm before the duo started to head for the water. Ace and Luffy were walking and making good progress. Then some members of Baroque Works billions showed up and surrounded the duo. They thought they got the drop on them but they had no idea how wrong they were and how outmatched they were.

"Fire Fist Ace, Your devils luck ends here." The big guy in charge said. Luffy and Ace were hardly paying any attention to the big guy.

"Did you learn anything from the old man about your Haoshoku?"

"He taught me what he could but he told me the rest I had to figure out on my own."

"So then, would you like to do the honors?" Luffy asked

Ace used his Haoshoku and knocked out all of the members but the big one and Luffy of course.

"What did you do to my men?" He asked

"Doesn't matter." Ace said "Your turn Luffy."

Luffy put down the barrel of water. "Gomu Gomu no Bazooka." Luffy said as his arms stretched behind him then suddenly retracted and sent the big idiot flying. With that Luffy and Ace continued to walk to the ship. But that didn't last long.

"They are getting ready to set sail."

"Lead the way?" Ace said. Luffy took off for the water and Ace followed.

Meanwhile as the duo were running. The Straw Hats were preparing the ship to start sailing.

"Will Luffy-san have any trouble finding us?" Vivi asked

"He shouldn't." Nami said as she looked out into the distance.

"Nami-san, do you have feelings for Luffy-san?" Vivi asked

"Huh, what would make you think that?"

"Well the fact that you're blushing doesn't help." Vivi said. Nami didn't say anything. "I will take your silence as a yes."

As the girls were talking Luffy made his way back to the ship relatively easily. Luffy stretched his arm and launched himself over to the ship. Not long before Luffy made it to the Merry Ace had gone in a different direction to get his small boat. He sailed it over tossed a line up and attached it to the Merry's railing so it wouldn't drift away.

"Well you managed to catch up." Nami said

"Of course I did. It was no trouble" he said putting down the barrel of water.

With his little boat secure Ace jumped up onto the railing of the ship next to Luffy.

"Everybody, this is my big brother Ace."

"Hello" They all said.

Luffy went around and introduced everyone.

"Thank you for looking after my little brother, I know he can be a handful sometimes." Ace said bowing to the crew while he was still squatting on the railing. "So Luffy is she the one you…" Before Ace could spill any more words out of his big mouth Luffy punched him on the head and sent him down onto the deck.

"What the hell was that for?" Ace asked irritated standing up.

"Oh, no reason." Luffy said

"You trying to pick a fight?"

"Maybe. But don't think for a second that just because I am younger than you I couldn't kick your ass."

"I would like to see you try."

"Really you are both acting like children." Nami said as she walked over to the two brothers. The look in her eyes spelled trouble. Luffy knew this and Ace could see it in his eyes. But before they could react the two monsters were down on the ground with large bumps on their heads. It took them a while before they got up.

"Nami's scary." Chopper said

"Those two idiots got what they deserve." Sanji said

"How does she do that? I'm a logia and she still hit me."

"I don't know, but I do know that I always get hit after doing something she thinks is stupid."

"And for a second I thought that there was actually a mature brother. But no, the elder puts on a good show but is just as much of a dumb ass as the younger."

"Make sure you take care of them Luffy, you found a great group of friends."

"I know."

While they were talking five ships carrying Baroque Works Billions sailed ever closer to the Merry.

"I won't say we are in trouble but there are five ships coming right for us." Ace said

"You're more notorious, would you like to do the honors?" Luffy asked

"Really, like you had to ask?"

Ace jumped over the railing of the ship, not even going for his boat. His forearms, legs and feet became fire before he flew off propelling himself towards the ships. As he flew over the five ships he dropped flaming care packages igniting parts of the ship. Once he was on the opposite side from where he started he hovered just above the waves of the ocean. He pulled one arm back and yelled "Hiken" before sending a massive fist shaped fireball at the boats destroying them. He flew back to the Merry and turned back to normal before landing on the deck.

"That was amazing." Usopp said

"That was impressive Ace. How did you know you could fly?" Luffy asked

"Didn't know I could either one day it just kind of happened. Couldn't do it again for a while. I had lots of failed attempts and it took a lot of practice to figure out." Ace said rubbing the back of his neck.

"Still that was pretty amazing."

"Yeah. There are only a handful of Zoan devil fruits that make actual flight possible. But there may be more like what I just did and what Smoker can do. Though I'm not sure if that is considered flying."

"How would you like to come in and have some tea?" Sanji asked

"That sounds good. I can get to know you all a little better before I take off."

**Back to the future Straw Hats watching through the portal**

The ghost snapped his fingers and a portal opened up. A moment later Luffy stepped through the portal and walked a few steps forward, as he did the portal closed behind him.

"Well, that was interesting." he said "I thought I was sent back in time. The second I walked into the portal time froze and another me walked through the portal to the past. I saw everything that happened on both sides. It looks like I have…"

At same time Luffy was walking out of the portal Nami's whole world went silent around her and came to a grinding freaking halt. Not a single word from Luffy was getting through to her. She stood there looking at Luffy. As she did her vision was getting blurry from the build up of tears in her eyes. She had to pinch herself just to make sure this was real. When she felt the pain from the pull of her skin she knew she wasn't hallucinating. Then she realized her body was moving independently from her thoughts. She was still looking at Luffy but she was getting closer to him. She by no means had been far from the young man in the straw hat. She wasn't even sure what made her do it but fuck it. At this point she didn't care.

Luffy was sort of aware of his surroundings. He figured he must have been back in the cave. But at the same time a certain busty red head didn't give him enough time to re-acclimate to his surroundings before she jumped into his arms. He wasn't expecting any of this. He expected his friends to be furious with him but he didn't expect anyone to come running at him. Well that's not exactly true either. He did kind of expect that he was going to have to run for his life. But he never expected a reaction like this. As Nami ran at him she didn't look angry she looked upset. As Luffy noticed this his grin turned upside down. He never wanted to see any of his friends upset. But he saw the look on Nami's face. Even if he wasn't aware of it there was a special place in his heart for Nami.

He promised Genzo before they left Cocoyashi that he would never take her smile away. For a spilt second it looked he had broken his promise. He thought she was going to pummel him into the ground for what he did but that didn't turn out to be the case. She ran to him and jumped into his arms. She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, her legs around his waist and she kissed him. Luffy didn't reciprocate for a moment but something clicked inside him. It was something primal that not even Luffy knew he had in him.

His arms had just been hanging there at his side. But after the click his arms moved, he placed his hands on her ass cheeks and pushed her up to deepen the kiss. As he pushed her up he groped her ass. She didn't really care about her reaction at this point. She had little shame to begin with. But I guess most of the guys already knew that considering she flashed them in the bath in Alubarna. She had grown even more comfortable in her body. But then again the clothes she wore sometimes just left so little the imagination. She would have to be comfortable with herself to show that much skin. Had she always been tempting Luffy? Trying to get a rise out of him. She knew what Sanji's reaction would be. But no matter what she wore she couldn't get Luffy to react in any sort of perverted way. Maybe he had been uninterested in ladies at one point but something had changed and Nami could feel it. She knew he was hers.

The Straw Hats had a lot of questions for the idiot captain but he was preoccupied at the moment. None of them were very shocked when they saw Nami run towards Luffy. They had not expected her to jump into his arms like she did. All of their mouths fell open at the sight all except for the cook that was. He was pouting over off to the side. Deep down he knew he could never win Nami's heart. And that reaction to Luffy walking out through the portal sealed it.

Zoro walked over to the chef "Looks like she has made her decision." Zoro said

"I know, but why did it have to be the shitty captain. Why couldn't it have been me?"

"I couldn't tell you. But you just have to be happy for them."

"If this is what Nami-san wants I wouldn't dare ruin it for her. I want her to be happy. If Luffy can do that for her then that's fine." Sanji said all of that but at the same time he was sulking and doodling in the dirt.

"That is very mature of you. I half expected you to run and attack Luffy. I mean look at them. The way he is gripping her ass. The way she is rubbing up against him. She wants it."

"Don't ruin it marimo. And since when did you notice things like that?" 

"Just look at them. They aren't even trying to hide anything. If no one else was around here right now they would both be naked. I wouldn't put it past them having sex in all of this gold. That just seems like it would be Nami's fantasy."

"You just had to say those words together in a sentence didn't you?"

"What words are you talking about? Nami, naked, sex or fantasy?"

"Don't say those words together. You really are a pervert aren't you?"

"I guess. Robin seems to enjoy our time together."

"Don't remind me. It's bad enough Robin-chan is doing that with you but now Nami-san is going to be doing that with Luffy."

"Well you're going to have to get over it. I don't know where we're going next but I imagine those two are going to be spending some much over-do time together doing sexual yoga."

"Don't you dare make me think about stuff like that! I don't need to imagine that!" Sanji didn't need to say it but he had already thought about what he would do with Nami, Robin, Vivi, Viola or hell any other beautiful woman given the opportunity.

"I think Luffy's powers will aide him in his new endeavor."

"Oh, poor Nami-san"

While Nami and Luffy were making out she felt a chill run down her spine. She knew someone was talking about her and she had a pretty good idea who it was. So reluctantly Nami stopped her furious assault on Luffy's mouth.

"Luffy" She said "Could you put me down for a minute"

"Yeah, I guess I can." Luffy said he was kind of sad as he had been enjoying the kissing. Luffy put Nami down so her feet could touch the ground. Once she was down she straightened out her clothes before she walked over to Zoro and Sanji.

"Don't you poor Nami-san me Sanji-kun." Nami said "I don't really care what it was exactly that you two were talking about over here. But I know you were talking about me."

"But Nami-san I do…" That was the last thing Sanji said before Nami knocked him out cold.

Zoro somehow managed to get away unscathed from the same punishment as Sanji.

"I'm not going to hit you but you have to carry Sanji back to the ship."

Zoro didn't say a word. He picked up the unconscious chef and put him over his shoulder and walked away. He knew better than to get a horny lady angry.

"NOW" Nami said with an agitated tone. "As for the rest of you. GET THE HELL OUT."

The crew for the first time and last time ever stood at attention, turned and began to walk out of the cave, but soon began running. Usopp didn't even bother to go and grab the lamp before he too booked it out of the cave and headed back for the Sunny. "We are done for now." Usopp yelled to the ghost who retreated back into the lamp. As they were running out Robin had been giggling to herself the whole way. "Best of luck to you Nami." Robin said under her breath before she made it out of the cave. Usopp was the last one out of the cave. The path out of the cave wasn't that long or complicated. But it felt very long and complicated as they were running from Nami's wrath.

"I didn't expect Nami-san to yell at us." Brook said surprised.

"Nor did I. But I guess she has two things in there that she loves and in such close proximity. She didn't want to waste this opportunity." Robin said

"I really think I should get some plans together." Franky said

"What for Franky?" Usopp asked

"Well, if we have two couples on the Sunny I think we should give you guys your own space. What do you think Robin?"

"I like the idea."

"What about you Zoro?" Franky asked

"Sounds good to me."

"Well I think that…" Franky stopped talking. They heard a sound that must have come from Nami. They were shocked to her Nami moaning Luffy's name.

That sound would stick with them for who knows how long. There were only two who didn't react. The first is Chopper because well he is an animal and just didn't understand. The second is Sanji because he is still out cold. The sound traveled and made it out of the cave. The sound made them want to wash their ears out with soap. She and Luffy were all alone in the cave so she didn't bother covering her mouth.

"That…I don't think any of us want to hear that ever again." Franky said

"No, no I don't." Usopp said

"There is one good thing." Franky said

"What is that?"

"We can take as much gold as we want. We will have not have worry about not being able to pay for the materials for the renovations or to keep the rooms quiet." 

"Franky, where do you think you are going to put another room on the Sunny?" Robin asked

"As of right now. Best idea I have is just dividing the girls room in half."

"There isn't that much room on the ship. That seems like a reasonable idea. I guess you and Usopp are going to have to get creative."


	20. Alabasta part 2, To Yuba & Baroque Works

First is that the end of this chapter will have **LEMONS** so you have been warned. Do with that what you will. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Second, I want to thank Partsu for mentioning that I forgot a back to the future straw hats snippet. I went back and added that part to the end of the last chapter. So please go back and read it if you are interested. I hope that if you do read the last part of the previous chapter you enjoyed it. Moving forward I want to keep doing these as it is different and adds more to the chapter. I would like your input in who you would like to see appear in these moving forward. I don't know who of you follow the manga or are strictly anime only. But for those of you who follow the manga know that some events have transpired in the past few chapters.

Would you like to see portions of chapters with those characters? Or maybe even separate chapters? They could be any amount of time apart in any part of the One Piece world. These events are separate and the crew in the past will not have any knowledge about what happens.

However I would like to keep the crew from going to the islands they grew up on. I am working on a separate story for that. Maybe you have an idea for an island the future Straw Hats can visit. Or it could even be an island that could be added to the main part of my story to differentiate it from canon.

Leave a comment or send me a PM and let me know what you come up with. I can work to expand on it. Of course you would be given credit for coming up with the idea. But please have an account. I want to give you the credit you deserve.

TLDR:** LEMONS**, More added to the previous chapter. Ideas for new Islands or characters you want to see in the post Pirate King part of the story. Send me a comment or PM. HAVE AN ACCOUNT FOR THANKS &amp; CREDIT

Now on to the story.

* * *

Ace followed the Straw Hat crew into the kitchen so they could sit down and talk. Before she could walk in Ace stopped Nami for a moment. Everyone else was getting situated in the kitchen while Sanji was making tea.

"Sorry, but I have to ask." Ace said "How much do you know?"

"Probably more than you do."

"Really, like what?"

"Can't say. I'm sure Luffy told you all sorts of things?"

"Yeah he did. But you know Luffy. He never goes into too much detail about anything especially when he is excited."

"Yeah, that sounds like Luffy."

"I'm not sure if this is my place to say this but my brother likes you, a lot. He wouldn't stop talking about you. I mean he told me about a bit about everyone but he never said too much about any one topic."

"You're right it's not really your place to tell me that. But I already know. I have feelings for him too. Whether or not I want to tell him yet is something I need to figure out."

"You might as well just tell him. I'm sure he knows exactly what you are thinking. He may say something before you have even given it any thought. He will surprise you more often than not. When it comes to his friends he is always just far enough ahead to get inside your head."

"That sounds like Luffy. He always knows what you need from him often before you even realize it yourself."

"Yeah, so just take your time with him. I'm sure you know he takes everything at…" Nami interrupted him

"You don't have to worry Ace. I know how Luffy thinks and I will take good care of him."

"I appreciate it Nami. But make sure the idiot treats you well. I don't want to see either of you getting hurt over this. The way he talked about you, he talked as if you were already family."

"What kind of family are we talking about? The type of family where he thinks of everyone the same way or the type where he thinks only of me in a more intimate way?"

"Honestly it was a little of both. He cares for you in a way I had never seen Luffy care about someone before. At the same time I know he doesn't want to lose you over something stupid or should something go sideways."

"Don't worry Ace. I'm sure we will figure it out sooner or later. The next time you see all of us together, well you'll just have to wait and see." Nami kept a straight face as she thought about the future that happened once. 'We never did see you again. Here's hoping Luffy can get you out of Marineford safely this time.'

"I guess I will." Ace said

Nami just smiled as Ace walked by her into the kitchen. Nami followed Ace into the kitchen. They found the only empty seats at the table and sat down. Luffy didn't even question why Ace and Nami pretty much walked in together. He just started talking to Ace.

"So I'm curious about something Ace."

"What is that Luffy?"

"I was wondering what you were doing out here towards the beginning of the Grand Line?"

"I've been looking for a man named Marshall D. Teach who also goes by Blackbeard. He broke the one rule on our ship. He killed a crewmate. Over a Devil Fruit of all things and ran away. He was one of my subordinates so it's my job as the Second Division Commander to find him and make him pay for what he did."

"Having any luck?"

"Nope, none yet. I have just been following rumors up to this point. My most solid lead to date was that he went to a winter island named Drum and caused quite a bit of trouble there. But I missed him and he was already in the wind."

The tea had finished while Ace was talking. Sanji walked around and passed out cups full of tea to most of the people present in the room.

Chopper passed on the tea but it was clear that he was thinking. He wasn't going to say anything. He didn't think it would be appropriate to thank Blackbeard for anything. Yes it was a tragedy that Blackbeard showed up and wrecked the former Drum Kingdom. But at the same he thought about how it was a blessing in disguise. Wapol had left the country to protect his own ass after he realized how strong Blackbeard and his crew were.

"So what now Ace?" Nami asked

"I guess I go back to looking and listening. I'm certain I will find him eventually if I just keep looking around. Before I forget, what are you guys doing here aside from restocking?"

"We're here to kick a Shichibukai's ass." Luffy said. Shortly followed by a punch to the back of the head from one fiery red head.

"Don't forget that we came here to help Vivi." Nami said rubbing her fist

"Vivi, where have I heard that name before?" Ace asked no one in particular. He tilted his head to the side before he slammed his fist into his palm. "Oh, I remember now. Vivi is the name of the princess of this country." Ace said. It took a few seconds for everything to click before he spoke up again. "I might be a pirate but it is still cool to meet royalty even if a majority of royals are stuck up assholes."

"Don't assume things idiot." Nami said punching Ace in the back of the head.

"How?" was all Ace could say.

"Luffy you said you didn't teach her Haki, right?" Ace asked

"Nope." Luffy said "Not yet."

"Good, don't teach her." Ace said looking to his little brother who had a finger in his ear. "You didn't hear what I said did you?"

"What did you say Ace?"

"I told you not to teach her Haki you dumbass."

"Even if I did I can still dodge her attacks."

Nami got up out of her seat and walked around the table towards her target. 'Good don't move.' she thought. She walked over to him and instead of punching him in the head she put her arms around his neck and pressed her breasts up against his back. The crew, Vivi and Ace were beyond surprised at the action. Sanji was fuming that his beautiful Nami-swan would do that to the shitty rubber captain. As she was holding onto the captain she whispered something into his ear that turned Luffy bright red. Soon after she let go and walked back to her seat like nothing had happened.

"Oh, so that's how it is." Ace said clearly amused by the turn of events.

"That's how what is?" Chopper asked innocently enough

"I'm glad I stuck around. I can see that my little brother is in good hands." Ace said finishing off the rest of his tea.

"Do you really have to go Ace?" Luffy asked

"Yeah, I think it's time I head out again."

"Alright, if you think so." Luffy said clearly disappointed.

"Before I go I have something for you little brother."

"What is that?" Luffy asked

Ace tossed a folded up piece of paper to Luffy.

"A vivre card." Luffy said

"That's exactly what that is. I assume you already know what it does."

"Yeah I do." Luffy said

"Well, I better get going. Thanks again for the tea Sanji."

"You're welcome. Hope to see you again sometime soon."

"Oh, don't hope for that. The next time we meet we will be rival pirates again. Next time I'm going to kick all of your asses." Ace said with a humorous smirk

"Yeah, we will see about that." Luffy said.

Ace got up and walked out the door. The crew followed him to where he had tied his boat to the railing of the ship.

"I have to thank you all again. I know he can be more than a handful once he decides he wants to do something. But please look after him for me. His heart is always in the right place even if his head doesn't want to agree." That earned a small chuckle from the crew. Luffy looked to his friends then back to Ace.

"Hey, that's not funny Ace."

While Luffy was talking Ace quickly shot Nami a knowing glance. One that had lots of emotion packed into it. One that said I am going to be counting on you to look after my little brother. Then he looked back to Luffy.

"Oh yes, yes it is. I hope you deal with your Shichibukai problem."

"Thanks Ace. We will, and I hope you take care of Blackbeard."

"Yeah, me too." Ace sighed. "Well until we meet again." Ace said as he untied the rope and jumped over the side of the ship and sailed off.

"Who knew you had such a famous brother." Vivi said

"I know, who would have guessed the Second division commander of the Whitebeard pirates is your older brother." Usopp said playing along with Vivi's comment

"Well, so now that Ace is gone what do we do?" Nami asked

"Well our first stop is Erumalu." Vivi said.

"How far are we away from there?" Usopp asked

"About a half an hour. So get any last things together we may need. It's going to be very hot walking through the desert to Yuba."

"Nami could you sew this onto the ribbon of my hat?" Luffy asked handing Nami the vivre card and his straw hat.

"Yeah, that is no problem." Nami said as she took the two items to her room to quickly get a needle and thread to sew the vivre card onto the inside of the red ribbon.

"So tell me, I what are we going to Yuba for?" Zoro asked

"The reason we are going is so that I can reason with the Rebel leader. I don't want anymore bloodshed."

"There are what, 700,000 rebels there? What makes you think you can convince that many people to stop?"

"I'll convince them to stop. The rebel leader is my childhood friend! I'll stop all of this senseless violence. I won't let Baroque Works have their way with this country anymore."

"Alright then. On to Yuba."

Around the same time Ms. All Sunday and Mr. 0 were at Rain Dinners making final preparations.

"The plan goes into action in just two more days. Have you made all the arrangements?"

"Yes, everything is in place. 150 of the billions are on standby at Nanohana."

"Good, I've recalled Mr. 2 as well. It seems Mr. 3 couldn't be found."

"All of the Officer Agents will gather tonight at Spiders Café at 8 o'clock."

"Hmm… Very good."

"In just a few hours time. It's already 5 o'clock."

In the meantime while the Straw Hats were making their way to Erumalu, Officer Agents from Baroque Works were beginning to gather at a place called Spiders café, which is owned and run by a blue haired woman who goes by the name Paula. The first to show up at Spiders Café were Mrs. Merry Christmas and Mr. 4.

"Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas! Oh I'm pooped! What a journey! I'm exhausted! My back is killing me! It's all your fault, Mr. 4! You're too slow! Oh, my back! You idiot!"

"S…So…rry…ab…out…that."

"Yes, yes, yes. How's business paula? The place is kind of empty today. That's empty with a capital E!"

"You have the place to yourselves today. Let me guess you will have orange pekoe and for you Mr. 4 you like apple tea, right?"

"I don't want it too hot! I want to be able to drink it right away! Now hurry it up! Bring it out! Bring it."

"You seem well. How's work going?"

"In our business, you fail, you die. I'm doing splendidly, you id-id-idiot!"

"Of course. How silly of me."

A little while later some music could be heard in the distance.

"Huh? What's that weird music you're playing?"

"Music? Oh, that's a sonata. It doesn't have any lyrics."

"Un, deux, oraa, un, duex, kora"

"Huh" Both Paula and Mrs. Merry Christmas said

Outside of Spiders Café.

"This world is made for men and women…But when you're me, you're a man…and a woman. That's why I'm the strongest!"

A few minutes later the door to spider's café opens.

"Hello! How deux you do?"

"Are you crazy?" Paula asked

"I'm not crazy, Paula! I'm just happy! Let me have an octopar." Mr. 2 said smacking the counter.

"An octopar?"

"An octopus parfait! Isn't it obvious? Hee hee hee!" He turned away from Paula to look back to his subordinates "You can all go home now."

"Aye-aye!" Mr. 2's subordinates said

"One must never miss dance practice!"

"Aye-aye!"

Turning back around he spotted some more familiar faces. "Oh! What are you doing here, fatty and the old bat?"

"Shut up! That shrill voice of yours makes my back ache!"

Completely ignoring Ms. Merry Christmas, Mr. 2 turns back to Paula."So I hear that Mr. 1 and his partner are coming. I've never had the chance to meet him before. I'm so excited! But everyone's afraid of him!"

"Oh that doesn't matter to me!"

While Mr. 2 and Paula were talking Mr. 3 was looking in the window. Some time passed and night fell.

"Ahh, night is falling. It's almost time!"

"This is so boring. I'll just keep twirling. I'll do just that."

"Huh…huh…huh…huh"

"Stop doing that you're making me dizzy!"

"WHY DON'T YOU MAKE ME, YOU OLD BAT!?"

"IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT!"

"Stop it you two!"

The clock struck 8 and the front door of the café was broken down. Mr. 2's subordinates came flying through the wall.

"Hey what's the big idea!? Why'd you crash in here like that!?"

"N-no…that's…"

"Friends of yours, Bon Clay? I found them slinking around in the desert. But they aren't dead." Mr. 1 said "You all seem to be getting along. Don't waste your strength in pointless fellowship."

"Those are my henchmen!"

"STOP MR. 2!"

Mr. 2 tried kicking Mr. 1 but didn't land a single kick. Mr. 1 punched and Mr. 2 just barely dodged. They continued this dance for a little while before Paula stepped in to stop them.

"Wait, Mr. 1! Let's all calm down!"

"Don't stop me Ms. Doublefinger. I'm going to kill him!"

"LET GO OF ME FATTY." Mr. 2 said

"Calm down Mr. 2. It's eight o'clock and all the agents are here. And our orders have been delivered to Spiders Café. Now we'll go to Rainbase, the town of dreams. The one we call 'Boss,' whose face we've never seen, is waiting for us there."

In the middle of the desert

"I never dreamed that you were Ms. Doublefinger, Paula!"

"Hee Hee…I never said I wasn't."

Back in Rain Dinners.

"They should be heading for Rainbase about now. Bunchi should get them here by morning."

"Have the Billions in Nanohana been notified? Our usual messengers the unluckies never came back."

"I dispatched the lizard runners as substitutes."

"I see. Good work."

Earlier that afternoon the Straw hats and Vivi docked their ship along the coast of one of the inlets that led back out to sea. They had gotten off the Merry and were getting ready to start their trek across the desert.

"How far is Yuba from here?" Luffy asked

"It's half a day away to the northwest." Vivi said

"Look at the map. We just sailed up the Sandora River and landed her at this inlet. This is the Green City of Erumalu. Or at least it used to be."

"What is that?" Usopp asked not paying any attention to Vivi

"That's a Kung Fu Dugong." Vivi said "Don't go near it Usopp. It's dangerous."

"Luffy beat it." Nami said

"NO, Luffy! It's the code of the Kung Fu Dugong to become the apprentice of anyone who defeats it!"

"A disciple of the Martial Arts, eh?" Zoro said

In the meantime Luffy beat many more and started to teach them.

"LUFFY." Nami yelled. "Stop playing around. We've got to go."

"Alright, fine. Sorry about this guys." Luffy said before he unleashed a wave of Haoshoku Haki and knocked out all of the Dugongs."

"Was that really necessary Luffy?" Vivi asked

"They insisted on following me. I wasn't going to give them my food."

'He's so selfish.' Nami thought. 'At least he didn't hit them.'

'We had to bribe them with food last time. This is better.' Sanji thought

"Do those Dugongs live around here Vivi?"

"No, they live in the sea. The Sandora River used to nourish the land. But in recent years the river has lost much of its strength and is being overcome by the sea."

"Then all that water was sea water?"

"Yes, we can't drink it or use it to water the crops."

"That why this city is all dried up?" Zoro asked

"No there used to be enough rainfall to sustain the city. Until recently, Erumalu was green and full of life. However in the last three years not a drop of rain has fallen in this entire region."

"But the port we were at earlier looked okay." Chopper said

"Nanohana gets its water from the neighboring oasis of Katorea. Throughout its long history, Alabasta never suffered from drought, until recently. But one place got plenty of rain. That was Alubarna, the capital where the King's palace is. The people called it the King's miracle until the day of the incident."

"So, what happened?" Nami asked

"Two years ago in Nanohana some cargo was being off loaded. From what I understand what happened is that a cart broke. It was carrying two large bags. When the cart broke and the bags fell and their contents were spilled on the ground. The people who were delivering the bags said it was supposed to be delivered to the King in Alubarna. The bags were filled with Dance powder."

"Dance powder. They call it the powder that summons rain."

"It can summon rain?"

"Yeah it was developed in a country where it never rained. At first the people rejoiced. But then they discovered a terrible side effect. The countries upwind suffered. The powder creates artificial rain by stealing the moisture from even the smallest clouds." Nami said

"It stole rain that would've normally fallen on surrounding lands!" Usopp said

"That's right. When the neighboring countries realized what happened they attacked and many people lost their lives." Vivi said "After that the World Government banned the production and use of dance powder worldwide."

"That makes sense if the stuff is that dangerous." Sanji said

"After the incident that day the rumors spread like wildfire. It didn't take long for the people to put pieces together. It was around that time when it wasn't raining anywhere but in the capital."

"It's only natural that the people would suspect the king." Zoro said

"The king had no idea. A huge quantity of dance powder had been found inside the palace too. Crocodile had been behind it all. It went just as he planned. Drought ravaged the land. The anger of the people increased with their hunger. Ultimately a rebellion broke out. The people lost faith in the royal family, and the peace of the land was destroyed. He caused all of this misery. I will never forgive that man!"

"I've heard enough. Let's get moving. I'm ready to kick his ass."

Sometime later they were making their way through the desert.

"Damn it's hot out." Luffy said

"How big are some of these sand dunes?" Usopp asked

"Some of them are over one thousand feet high." Vivi said

"That's really high."

"Can we eat now?"

"No you idiot. Not until Vivi says so."

"We are only a fourth of the way to Yuba. When we get to the next crags we will stop and rest."

They continued to trek through the desert. A little while later they saw something in the distance.

"Hey, look over there." Usopp said. "Are those the crags you were talking about Vivi?"

"Yes they are."

Hearing that Luffy took off running for the only likely shade they would find for some time.

"That was a bad idea running in this heat but it was worth it." Luffy said as he looked around and saw some familiar looking birds. "Huh, there is something I should remember about those birds. What was it?" Luffy sat down in the shade as he tilted his head to the side thinking. "Oh, I remember now."

Luffy walked over to the birds he saw lying on the ground. "Man I am hungry. I could really go for some roast… hey what kind of birds are you?" Luffy asked the seemingly injured birds.

It was perfect timing. Luffy's stomach grumbled. The birds got up and ran away as if there was nothing wrong with them. Not long after the birds disappeared Vivi and the rest of the crew made their way to the crags.

"Well don't you look comfortable." Nami said looking at Luffy who was once again sitting in the shade.

"Can we eat now?"

"Yeah, I think now would be a good time." Vivi said

"You know, I saw some birds lying on the ground a few minutes ago. They looked injured but after they heard my stomach growl they got up and ran away."

"Luffy, those birds you saw were they white with long necks?"

"Actually, that's exactly what they looked like."

Vivi let out a sigh. "Thank goodness your stomach scared them away. If it wasn't already obvious, they were faking. That is what they do. They wait for people traveling through the desert to stop. Then they steal from unsuspecting people leaving them out in the desert with no supplies."

"Well, if nothing else we can thank Luffy's stomach for scaring them away before we all made it here to rest." Usopp said

Chopper got up from the sled they had built for him. There was nothing he could do. He was a reindeer; he wasn't made to handle this kind of heat. They sat around to enjoy they meal. Once they were done they heard a noise broke the silence of them cleaning up.

"What the hell is that sound?" Sanji asked

"Oh no. It's a giant Sandora dragon." Vivi said looking off into the distance.

"Is that a camel running away from it?" Zoro asked

"You ready guys?" Luffy asked Zoro and Sanji

They didn't say anything they just made their way over to the big lizard.

"Gomu Gomu no Muchi/ Tatsumaki/ Epaule Shoot"

The looks on Vivi and the camels face were priceless. Nami, Usopp and Chopper were smirking. They had seen the monster trio take on much bigger but this was still impressive.

"That thing never stood a chance." Nami said

"Let's eat it!" Luffy yelled

"Can we eat this thing Vivi?" Sanji asked

"…Huh…what, um. I think so. I've never seen anyone attack one let alone kill one so I'm not really sure."

"So, what is the deal with this camel?" Zoro asked

"He says he was just walking through the desert when that thing started chasing him. He wants to thank you for saving him. He is willing to give rides but only to women."

"Ungrateful bastard." Sanji said "Who do you think saved your ass?"

"Don't even think about beating on the poor camel you idiots." Nami said "Don't be jealous."

"But Nami-swan."

"Would you be willing to give me a ride?" Nami asked the camel.

The camel nodded and got down to allow Nami to get on.

"Now what's your name?" Nami asked the camel sweetly but just a few seconds later a name popped into her head. "I know, I'll call you Eyelashes." The camel nodded.

"Pervert." Sanji said

"That's funny coming from you." Zoro said

"Hop on Vivi." Nami said

"That's okay. I can walk."

"Come on Vivi. Maybe we'll reach Yuba a little faster now."

Some time passed as the crew continued on towards Yuba. They complained the whole way. Several more hours of walking later they made it Yuba. The town was only in sight for a few moments before something engulfed it.

"Oh no, look at that sandstorm." Vivi said

"It's huge." Sanji said

A little time passed and the sandstorm dissipated. Vivi was speechless at what she saw when she made her way into the once beautiful oasis. "The desert is swallowing Yuba!"

"Travelers?" An old man said not looking up from where he was digging. It looked like he was digging where a river once ran through the town. "You must be exhausted from your journey? I'm sorry but Yuba is all dried up. But you can stop here and rest for the night. The city has many inns and we are famous for our hospitality."

"Old man, we heard that the rebels were here."

The old man snapped when he heard the word rebels.

"What do you want with the rebels? You don't want to join them do you?" The old man said angrily as he started throwing what ever he could find at them.

"What the hell are you doing?"

He stopped throwing things. "Those fools left Yuba."

"What? That can't be. Where did they go?"

"That wasn't the first sandstorm to hit Yuba. Three years ago, the land began to dry up and the sands began to blow in. The desert has been at war with Yuba since. And little by little the oasis has been loosing ground." He said as he continued to dig. "When the city ran out of water the rebels abandoned it. Their base is in Katorea now."

"Katorea!?" Vivi said

"Where is that Vivi? Is it close by?"

"It's an oasis near Nanohana."

"NANOHANA!" They all yelled.

"What? We came all this way for nothing?"

"Wait a second? Did you just say Vivi?" He stopped digging and turned toward the princess who tried to deny it.

"Um, I'm…"

"Is it really you? Are you really princess Vivi?" He took a good look at the young girl before his eyes lit up. "You're alive. Thank goodness. I bet you don't recognize me do you? Well I guess I have lost a little weight."

Vivi thought for a moment before a memory of a much larger man passed through her mind "Toto Oji-san?" Vivi asked

"That's right."

"No!" Vivi said clearly surprised and shocked at the revelation. The once plump old man had lost so much weight. He was quite literally a fraction of his former self.

"Princess, I still believe in the king. He would never betray his people." Toto said as he put his hands on Vivi's shoulders. "Would he?"

Vivi shook her head

He let go of her shoulders as he dropped to the ground. "This rebellion is ridiculous. Those blasted rebels! Please you must stop them. Only you can save us now! So many times… I tried so many times. But it was hopeless. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't talk them out of this rebellion."

"I believe you." Vivi said

"The next battle will decide everything. They've been drive into a corner. They're ready to die fighting for what they believe in. Please, Princess Vivi…Stop those fools."

"Toto Oji-san. Please don't worry." Vivi said handing Toto a handkerchief.

"Vivi"

"I'm going to stop the rebellion."

"Tha…Thank you." Toto said very grateful. "Okay, let me show you where you all can stay for the night." He said as he got up and walked towards an inn.

"Thank you." They all said.

"Now please follow me." The crew followed Toto to one of the inns nearby that wasn't completely covered in sand. Toto opened the door and let them all walk in. "This should work for the night."

"This is perfect. Thank you Toto oji-san."

"I'm sure you're tired after walking through the desert. I will leave you be and let you get some rest, good night everyone." Toto left them to get some rest before the started out in the morning.

With Toto gone everyone picked a bed.

"Why don't we all go to bed and rest up for tomorrow." Usopp said

"You've been sleeping all day." Zoro said

"What do you want from me? I collapsed from exhaustion. I'm only human! I'm not a monster like you!" Usopp said annoyed as he tossed a pillow at Zoro.

Inevitably a pillow fight broke out. Eventually everyone fell asleep after tiring themselves out. Everyone except for Luffy that is, He was outside talking to Toto.

"Is there really water under all that sand?"

"There sure is water still here. The Yuba oasis is still alive. Yuba will never surrender to the sands. I'll dig for as long as it takes. The king himself entrusted this place to me."

"Well then." Luffy said before he jumped into the former waterway. "All right! Let's dig."

This time Luffy didn't toss sand back into the hole Toto was digging. He managed to dig out a considerable amount of sand before he fell asleep in said hole. Toto pulled him out of the hole and brought to the inn where the rest of the crew was sleeping.

The next morning at the Rain Dinners Casino the officer agents had gathered to meet their boss in person for the first time.

"How long must we wait?" Mr. 2 said while he continued to spin.

"Quiet, you fool! Your jabbering makes my back hurt!" Ms. Merry Christmas said

"I guess it was too much to expect you all to get along. Not that you need to…"

"Oh, Ms. All Sunday, how deux you do?"

"I know it was a long trip. But I'm glad you all made it. It's wonderful to see your faces."

"Where are we Ms. All Sunday?" Mr. 1 asked

"Bunchi brought you here. But I am sure you've all heard of this place. People come here to get rich quick. This is Rainbase, the city of dreams. The building we're in right now towers over the rest of the center of Rainbase. It's the city's biggest casino. You're in Rain Dinners right now. Now if there are no more questions we'll get down to business."

"Please do! Just start!" Ms. Merry Christmas said

"But first allow me to introduce someone whose face you've never seen. The President of Baroque Works."

"The time has come. Operation Utopia. Baroque Works' ultimate plan." The voice said as the chair turned around to reveal a certain Shichibukai.

There was a resounding what that swept across the room. Along with their own comments to the person who had been pulling their strings the entire time.

"Sir Crocodile, one of the Oka Shichibukai?" Ms. Doublefinger said

"Disappointed?"

"No. Not disappointed, just confused. Why would you create an organization like this?"

"I'm not interested in money or status, I want military might."

"Military might?" Mr. 2 asked

Crocodile went over his plan and told the Officer Agents present about the ancient weapon Pluton and what he planned to do with it once he found it.

"The time has come for Alabasta to disappear."

The agents were given pieces of paper. Once they read them they were burnt per regular orders.

"This is Baroque Works' ultimate plan. Failure is not an option. We begin at 7 o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Right." They all said

"I pray for your success."

The meeting was about to adjourn when someone walked in. "Can you wait a minute? Operation Utopia?" Mr. 3 said as he walked in through the doors at the top of the stairs.

"Mr. 3! How did you get into this secret underground base?" Ms. All Sunday asked

"Mr. 3! How did you sneak up on us? I was instructed to get rid of you!" Mr. 2 said

"Wait, Mr. 2!" Crocodile said

"I didn't sneak up on anybody. I just hitched a ride on Bunchi and followed you here from Spiders café. That aside Boss, I've come to ask you to give me another chance since I wasn't able to complete my mission. It was only natural that Mr. 2 would be sent after me. So I changed course and headed for the rendezvous point instead."

"What are you talking about? You weren't able to complete your mission?"

"The Straw Hat crew and Princess Vivi got away."

"They got away! You mean they're still alive?" Crocodile was very clearly furious hearing this revelation. "Didn't you tell me on the Den Den mushi that you took care of those pirates and princess Vivi?" Crocodile asked clearly still very annoyed and agitated.

"I never used the Den Den mushi on Little Garden."

Crocodile had to sit down to think for a moment. "So that's why the unluckies never returned."

"At least you got rid of a couple of them… didn't you?"

"Well…No. But the information was wrong. There were four pirates, not three."

"Why, you…"

"Zero-chan, what's all this about? I don't understand what's going on!" Mr. 2 said

Ms. All Sunday pulled out the photo of Vivi and the sketches of Nami, Luffy and Zoro and handed them to Mr. 2 to look at.

"While I was on my way here I met these pirates." Mr. 2 proceeded to use his powers to change into the pirates he touched on the way to look for Mr. 3. "So you're telling me they are our enemies and Ms. Wednesday is Princess Vivi?"

"Yes, they know my identity. They must be dealt with before they can interfere in our plans."

"So you were correct Mr. 3, there's one more pirate than previously reported. Plus Princess Vivi and minus the pet makes five people who we must assume are already here in Alabasta somewhere. Mr. 2 take pictures of those faces."

"But Boss! I can deal with those five and Vivi."

"Obviously you can't because they wouldn't be here now if you could." Crocodile said as he walked over Mr. 3. He picked him up by the neck and started sucking the moisture out of his body. "I gave you the position of Mr. 3 not because you were strong but because what you lacked in strength you made up for in ruthlessness. There's nothing more pathetic than someone who fails at a crucial moment."

Crocodile put him down after absorbing most of the water out of his body. He walked over to the table and pushed a button. That button opened a trap door and Mr. 3 fell through it. Crocodile proceeded to tap on the glass. "Time to eat." He said. A bananagator swam into the huge glass tube through a metal pipe and proceeded to swallow Mr. 3.

"Burn those faces into your memory. They want to stop the rebellion. They will be coming no matter what. We can't allow Vivi and Kohza the leader of the rebellion to meet. Ms. All Sunday."

"Yes."

"Contact the Billions in Nanohana. Order them to find and eliminate those pirates immediately. Vivi must not make it to Katorea."

"As you wish."

"Now go, all of you. You'll be late for the party. It's the eve of our Utopia. Nothing must stop us now that we are so close."

"Leave it to us, Boss."

"Have fun."

In the former Oasis of Yuba, the same morning as Crocodiles meeting.

"Here Luffy. Take this with you?"

"Thank you."

"I was able to get some water out of the damp sand you hit before you fell asleep."

They said their goodbyes and started to walk away.

A little while later Luffy just sat down "I quit. We need to rethink our plan before we go anywhere." Luffy said sitting down in the desert.

"What are you talking about Luffy?" Vivi asked

"I mean we aren't going to go to Katorea. We're pirates. It would be better if we avoided that city all together. We can't stop the rebels. We can't stop a million people who are itching to fight. Vivi, you expect everybody to live? That's naïve."

"What's so wrong with not wanting anyone to die? Why should they die?

"People Die." Luffy said and Vivi slapped him.

"Don't say things like that. Say that again and you'll be sorry. I'm trying to prevent blood shed. I'm trying to save the Rebels and the Royal Army. No one is to blame. None of this is their fault. It's all Crocodile's fault."

"But yet you're risking your own life! You can't do it all by yourself."

"I have to. I don't care what it costs me."

"Then let us help you! We're here. We're your friends aren't we?"

Vivi broke down and started crying.

"Tears, even princesses cry."

Vivi didn't say anything. She just nodded.

"You want to kick his ass more than anyone, don't you?"

Again Vivi nodded.

"All right guys. We know what we need to do. We are going to take this fight to Crocodile."

**Back to the future Straw Hats (Beware of LEMONS)**

While the Straw Hats were making their way out of the cave Luffy and Nami were talking and started to get intimate.

"You idiot, I was so worried about you. I was scared I would never see you again."

"I'm sorry Nami. I'm sorry I didn't say anything."

"That doesn't matter anymore. Yes, I am mad at you but you're back and that is all that matters now."

"I'm sorry to make you worry. I promise I won't do anything that crazy again."

"Yes, yes you will. Don't try and lie to yourself you suck at it, you will always do something that crazy. You will probably never do something that involves time travel again but you will always act on whatever crazy whim pops into your head. I wouldn't expect you to do anything different. I love that about you. I love you and what finally got me to realize that was the thought of never seeing you again."

Luffy hesitated for a moment hearing that. **"**You know, while I was in the past…was I in the past?" Luffy thought aloud. "Doesn't matter. While I was in the past there were a few things that kept me going aside. One was getting to see Ace alive again. The second was that I would get to see all of my friends again. Finally there was you. I thought about you every night. I couldn't help but feel terrible about what I forced you to live through again. I couldn't stop thinking about the day I would get to see you again. So when I did see you again I couldn't help myself. I reached out and grabbed you."

"You mean like this?" Nami said grabbing Luffy's hand and placing it on her breast.

"Nami, what are you doing?"

"Well you said you couldn't stop thinking about me. And after hearing what you just told me it seems like we both have feelings for each other. And no they aren't the feelings you have for the rest of the crew. Those are different than these feelings. These are feelings that only we will have for each other and no one else."

"I get it. When Makino was talking to Ace about those sorts of feelings I understood what she was talking about. I thought about it for a while and the only person I could ever associate those feelings with was you."

"Well that seems obvious. I moved my hand a while ago but your hand is still where I put it."

It was then that Luffy realized he still had his hand on Nami's breast. "Sorry Nami" Luffy squeaked out before he moved his hand.

"No, it's fine. You can do that. But I am the only person you can do that to. Unless we decide we want to try something a little more, naughty."

"What are you talking about?"

"Forget it and don't worry about the possibilities of the future. Only worry about what is in front of you right now."

"Ok, I can do that."

"Good now close your eyes."

"Why wou…" Nami just put a finger against Luffy's lips and he stopped talking.

"Just do what I say, ok." Luffy nodded. "Now close your eyes."

Once more Luffy nodded and closed his eyes. Nami lifted up the back of her shirt and unbuckled the clasps holding her bra together. She moved her hands to remove the straps from her shoulders. She let the straps fall so now the only thing holding her bra on was her shirt. But the bra didn't stay for long. She pulled the front of her shirt forward so that the cups would fall off of her breasts. With her bra off she tossed it to the side and started talking again.

"Okay Luffy, I am going to move your arms so don't resist."

Luffy nodded again.

"You know you can talk. I only want you to keep your eyes closed."

"Okay, so what are you doing now?"

"Hold on one second." Nami grabbed the backs of Luffy's hands and put both of his hands on her breasts.

"You put my hands on your breasts again but it feels… different this time. It feels like something is missing."

"Bingo. I took my bra off. So now the only thing separating your hands from my breasts is a thin piece of fabric."

"No, well it's not just that. I can feel something in the middle of your breasts."

"Yeah, those are my nipples."

"I know but why are they stiff?"

"They get like that when I'm aroused. Try giving them a squeeze and see what happens."

So Luffy did as he was told and squeezed Nami nipples. Out of Nami's mouth came a sound Luffy had never heard before. It wasn't exactly a mystery noise as he knew where it came from but he didn't understand why it was happening.

"Oh, that feels good." Nami said

"Really, that feels good. It doesn't just hurt?"

"No it doesn't hurt. I don't want to explain it to you so let's move on." Nami said "Move your hands away for a few seconds."

Luffy took his hands off of Nami's chest and waited. While he was sitting there Nami took off her shirt. So now there was nothing left between them.

"Okay I'm going to move your hands again."

Luffy didn't say anything he was just curious to see or in this case feel what was next. He didn't have to wait long. Nami moved his hands and put them under her breasts.

"They are big, warm and so heavy."

"Yes they are but they are so nice to have. I'm going to do something to you now. You trust me don't you?"

"Of course."

"Good because things might start moving fast from here."

Nami reached down and unzipped the fly to his shorts. She put her hand inside his shorts and grabbed hold of Luffy's penis. It was only once she pulled it out of his shorts did she realize that it was actually kind of impressive even flaccid. Nami started stroking Luffy's penis. Not enough for release but enough to get him hard so she could do something with him involving her breasts.

"What do you think so far?"

"It feels weird but at the same time it feels so good. I didn't know you could do this. I have never even thought of trying this."

"Well that's because you don't know what happens at the end."

"What happens at the end?"

"Oh you will know. It will be like something you have never felt before."

"Alright Nami, I believe you." Nami stopped stroking his penis up and down. She tapped on his shoulder and whispered into his ear. He stood up and she guided him to a place where he could sit down. Once in a seat she began talking again.

"You know how you said that my breasts were so big."

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well if they weren't as big as they are I wouldn't be able to do this." Nami put one hand on each breast. She moved them so that she could envelop Luffy's penis up in between her large breasts.

"Now open your eyes."

When Luffy opened his eyes he was surprised to see what Nami was doing with his penis.

"Are you ready to experience that feeling I told you about?"

"Yeah." Luffy said. This was the first time since this started that he had been able to look at her. It was then that he noticed how red her face actually was.

She started rubbing her breasts up and down on Luffy's penis. She started out going slow and gradually picking up some speed. She wasn't going to tell Luffy that this was the first time she had ever done this. She leaned forward and stuck her tongue out and started licking the head of his penis. It must have felt strange as Luffy jumped a little when he felt her tongue touch his penis. She kept rubbing his penis with her bare breasts. She tried leaning forward just a little more. She was surprised when she was actually able to get Luffy in her mouth. She didn't think she would have been able to do that.

Instead of thinking about it anymore she kept going. She continued moving her breasts up and down along Luffy's shaft. On top of that she had started using her tongue to lick the part of his penis that wasn't surrounded by her breasts. Eventually Luffy felt a strange feeling. It felt like a pressure was building up in his penis. After just a little more stimulation from Nami, Luffy exploded in her mouth. Nami wasn't really expecting it and wasn't ready for it. So she was only able to swallow a little. The rest of it fell out onto and between her breasts.

Nami looked up at Luffy with a pout "Next time warn me when you are about to do that." Nami said a little annoyed.

"Sorry, I wasn't sure what to say."

"Only when you have that feeling again say, I'm gonna cum."

Luffy didn't say anything. He just nodded as if he was taking a mental note of what to say.

"You were right, that did feel strange."

"But did it feel good?"

"I don't know, I think so. I mean it seems like you got it to do what you wanted. But no one has ever done that for me before. I have nothing to compare it to."

"Well, I guess we will have to do that again some more so I can practice." Nami said with a sultry smile.

"Okay, now let me do that to you."

"What?" Nami said

"I want to make you feel good too. I probably won't be any good at it but I want to try." Now Nami was embarrassed. She had flashed everyone before but she was pretty sure they could barely only see more than a silhouette in the steam of the bath house in Alubarna. This time she would be completely bare. There would be no steam to protect her.

Nami took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose before started talking. "Okay, I will let you try doing that to me. I mean if we are going to be going beyond this I am going to have to get naked anyway. So now would be as good a time as any."

"What is after this?" Luffy asked innocently.

Nami was kind of shocked. "You mean Makino didn't tell you about this?"

"Nope, she told me I was too young to be talking about stuff like this. So I went to do something else while she talked to Ace about it. When he came back his face was all red like yours is now. He didn't say anything and I didn't ask. Some time passed and I forgot all about that."

"Wow, wow oh wow." Nami said. But she shouldn't be surprised. That was just how he was for, well pretty much as long as she has known him. "Well I'm not going to tell you anything. Just tell me what you think once it is done."

"Once what is done?"

"Just wait and see. I'm sure we'll both enjoy it. Now close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Because, I said so that's why!"

"Alright, but next time I am keeping my eyes open." Luffy said sticking his tongue out at Nami.

Nami didn't say anything she just waved him off. It wasn't so much the fact that she was embarrassed to show her body. It's the idea of having someone watch her while she took her clothes off that really embarrassed her. She wanted to wait until she was better at it to do a sexy strip tease for Luffy. There would be nothing close to sexy about this. But at the same time Luffy wouldn't know the difference either way. So while all these thoughts were floating around in her head she had taken the rest of her clothes off. They were off to the side sitting in a pile.

"Okay Luffy, you can open your eyes now." Nami said. She had put her arms under her breasts in a way that would make them look bigger. She wanted to cover herself but she resisted as Luffy's penis was still hanging out of his shorts.

When Luffy looked at the completely naked woman before him, well he was speechless. He had only seen two women naked before. One was Nami and he really couldn't see anything back then. The other was Boa Hancock. He saw all of her but couldn't appreciate the sight that was before him. In the end his simple mindedness saved his life. But now all that he could think about was Nami. He looked at her up and down, from head to toe.

As far as he knew, what he saw before him was perfection. The way her hair framed her face. The way her breasts looked when they were lifted up just a bit, her hourglass frame, her large chest, skinny waist &amp; wide hips. All the way down to the small, perfectly trimmed tuft of hair just above, well he didn't know what to call that part of the female body. Her thighs were just big enough to go well with her wide hips and her legs looked long even for her frame.

"Could you stop staring?" Nami asked

"Sorry…I couldn't help myself. You look amazing."

"Damn it."

"What, did I do something wrong?"

"No, nothing like that. I almost wanted you to not complement me this just makes me want to skip over this next part and go straight to the finale."

"Well if the finale is as good as you say it is I want to hold off just a little longer."

"Alright, we will wait just a little longer." Nami said kind of disappointed. But she slapped her cheeks and focused herself. "Okay, we have three more things to take care of before we get to the finale."

"What are they?"

"One, you need to get naked. Two, we need find somewhere for me to sit. I can't sit on that pile of metal. And finally Three, you have to make me cum by licking my pussy." 'Oh I can't believe I just said that.' Nami thought to herself as the blush on her face grew.

'So that's what it's called.' Luffy thought making another mental note. "Well if I have to be naked, then I will be naked." Luffy said as he took off his shirt, he wasted no time in untying the yellow sash from around his waist. Finally he unbuttoned his shorts and let them fall to the ground. Now both Nami and Luffy were completely naked aside from their shoes. Luffy still had his Straw hat around his neck.

Luffy looked around and a saw a treasure chest. He went over and grabbed the wooden box, which not surprisingly enough was actually pretty heavy.

"Will this be ok Nami?"

"Yeah…that…should be fine."

'How can he walk around with it all just hanging out there? Well I guess I am the only other person down here and come to think of it I'm just as naked as he is.' Nami again was thinking things as she walked towards the wood and metal box. She tried to position her self so she could avoid as much metal as possible. But she sat directly on a piece of metal. She jumped a little when the cold metal touched her bare ass.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I am good. The box is a little cold." Nami said but she quickly got used to the cold and once she did she spread her legs. "Come over here Luffy and kneel down."

Luffy walked over to her and knelt down. Soon all he saw in front of him was Nami's pink pussy. He leaned forward and started licking her. He was just as clumsy at it as she was when she first tried doing this to him. He kept licking. He moved all over, trying to lick every little bit. During his searching he discovered a little button that had been hidden beneath other pink folds. When he licked that he got another reaction similar to when he pinched Nami's nipples. So he kept going. He licked up and down Nami's pussy. But his focus would always go back to the little button. No matter how much he licked Nami he couldn't quite get the same reaction out of her as he did when he licked the little button. So he continued licking there.

Then a bright idea popped into his head. He moved his head and went back to licking her up and down. He gently placed his thumb and index finger on the button. While he was doing that he stumbled across a small hole. So while he lightly twisted the button, he stuck his tongue inside her. He moved it around inside of her and pulled it back out. As Nami felt like she was about to cum she grabbed his hair with one hand, arched her back, twisted her nipple with the other and curled her toes as she let the wave of pleasure pass through her. Luffy had been hoping this would happen. Instead of shying away from a challenge he went headfirst and tried to drink all of the fluid that came from Nami. He did a better job than she did. When he looked up at her she saw him licking his lips. 'He just licked his lips clean after drinking all of my love juices. If I wasn't already I must be as red as his shirt.'

Nami couldn't say anything. She could barely look at him, she was so nervous. She had been nervous when this all started but this was way beyond that now. She was about to give away her virginity. 'At least he is a virgin as well.' She thought.

Nami took one last breath before speaking. "Now, it's time for the finale." Nami said. "Lay down." Luffy did as he was told and laid down on the ground. When he looked up at Nami, her nervous expression was gone. It had been replaced with one of solid determination mixed with well, quite a bit of something else. He would soon learn the word, but the expression on Nami's face was one of a very horny woman who was looking to ride Luffy for who knows how long. Their love making session, would likely end when one or both of them passed out.

"We made it to the finale." Nami said

"What do we do now?"

"Now you stick that.' Nami said pointing to Luffy's penis. "In here." Nami said pointing to her glistening vagina.

"Who would've figured you were better at giving oral sex."

'So that's what that's called.' Luffy thought to himself.

Nami kneeled down and started stroking Luffy's penis to get him hard again. It didn't take that much considering the beauty he was looking at. Her cheeks were still red, her nipples still standing up and he saw that Nami's vagina still was wet. Luffy may have been an as dense as a pile of bricks but something understood what was going to happen. While Nami was stroking him, he was growing on his own. With their combined effort Luffy was completely erect. She stopped stroking him. She put her legs on either side of Luffy and inched forward so that her vagina was hovering above Luffy's erect penis.

"Ready?" she asked

"Yeah"

Nami positioned his penis below her entrance. She slowly lowered herself down onto him. It didn't take much for the head of his penis to make its way into her vagina. But before they could get too far she stopped. Luffy could feel something pushing back against the head of his penis.

"Luffy, there is going to be some blood and I am going to be in some pain when you first stick it inside."

"Nami..." One more time Nami put a finger to his lips silencing him. "Don't worry. I want this. I want you to be my first time. I hope I will be your first as well."

Luffy nodded. He understood.

"Good. Now you are going to push through and rip my hymen. After that give me a few minutes for the pain to subside. Once the pain goes away well… I don't think you are going to want to stop."

"If this is what you want." Luffy said before he grabbed onto her hips, pushed himself through and ripped open Nami's hymen. As she said there was going to be some blood, and there was. Nami was in pain but Luffy remained motionless for a few minutes.

"I'm gonna start." Nami said. She started bouncing up and down on Luffy's penis. 'This feels incredible.' Nami thought as she was gyrating her hips in different directions to see what felt better. 'To think I would've missed out on this had Luffy not come back.'

At that point tears started to fall from the corners of Nami's eyes. Luffy could very easily see that Nami started to cry from his where he was positioned.

"Don't cry."

"They're tears of joy, idiot. I'm so happy that I get to do this with you. I couldn't imagine giving my first time to anyone but you." Nami said as she gyrated her hips forward and back with her hands on his chest for support.

"If it makes you feel better I'm glad I'm giving you my first time."

"Much. Now shut up and let me make you cum."

Nami continued bouncing up and down using her legs to propel herself upwards. She rocked her hips side to side, front and back and in circles. She alternated going around clockwise and counterclockwise. Once she got into a rhythm while she had been bouncing on Luffy's penis she moved her hands and started rubbing herself. She was furiously rubbing her clit in all directions. At one point she even started squeezing her own nipple. "I'm gonna cum." Luffy said as he released everything inside of her. The feeling of his hot semen fill her up combined with her own efforts made her cum. Even after they both came Nami continued bouncing up and down.

Eventually Nami stopped for a second to catch her breath. In that brief moment Luffy decided on something as he stood up, wrapping his arms around Nami's legs, and walked over to something sturdy. Not sure as to what was going to happen next Nami wrapped her arms around his neck so she wouldn't fall. Once her back was up against a solid object Luffy asked her a question.

"Do you trust me?" He asked

Nami nodded and he began thrusting his hips. The speed he was thrusting his hips was well beyond the pace Nami had set. As he continued to thrust, all Nami could feel was happiness and pleasure as her mind started to fade a little. The man she loved was making love to her. He kept a fast pace as he continued thrusting. Nami had done all the work while he was lying down. Now it was his turn to make sure he did his part. As he was thrusting into her, he made her scream his name as loud as she could. The sound traveled through the cave and out into the open for the world or at least their crew to hear. They both came a few more times before they stopped. Luffy pulled out, released his grasp on Nami and eased her to the ground and leaned her up against a wall. Luffy walked around to find something they could rest on. He turned his head to the right and saw a fully made king sized bed surrounded by large piles of gold.

"You pervert." Luffy said "Did you watch us the whole time?" Luffy shook his head.

Luffy walked back over to Nami, picked her up and carried her to the bed. He quickly covered her up then he covered himself. He turned on his right side and pulled her close to him. Luffy would learn that this was called spooning. He would also learn that he loved doing this. It wasn't long before he fell asleep with his beautiful, sweaty partner cuddled up in front of him.

A little while ago. Back outside the cave.

"Damn it." Zoro said

"I can't believe Nami-san's voice would carry that far." Robin said

"We are going to have to grab even more gold to pay for all the extras we are going to need for their room." Franky said

The rest of the crew nodded. Everyone except for Sanji that is, who was crying.

"You better not hurt her you rubber bastard."

* * *

**SeanHicks4: Thanks. The time travel mechanics are wonky. I thought it might be fun having them watch themselves. But it does get repetitive. What changes do you like? What don't you like?**

**TheHeartsPath: How was that?**

**Partsu: Fixed and Fixed.**

**sachin6291: While that is true it seems like many fruits allow for some type of flight. I think I was referencing the time when Pell mentioned that their were only 5 devil fruits that allow flight. **

**Tonlor: I hope you like this**

**dmr14wizkid: Hope this was worth the wait.**

**Xerzo LotCN: Yes i did. I will every time you leave some sort of actual review.**

**gamelover41592: Hope this was worth the wait.**


	21. Alabasta part 3, on to Alubarna

Vivi didn't initially agree with Luffy's idea about avoiding Katorea and going straight for Crocodile. But now she is on board.

"So where are we going now Vivi?" Nami asked

"We are heading to Rainbase now. It is directly north of here and it's about a day's walk from here." Vivi said

"Is there water there?" Chopper asked

"Yes, despite the on-going chaos in the rest of the country. Rainbase is a vibrant casino-town."

"So there are towns that haven't been affected by the rebellion." Sanji said

Once they knew which way they had to go they continued on walking towards Rainbase.

"You don't get used to the heat." Usopp said

"Well, we've only been here a day." Sanji said

"Luffy." Vivi said

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, I wouldn't have made the decision to go directly to Rainbase."

"Oh, that. Once I kick Crocodile's ass, feed me until I explode."

"Sure, that's no problem."

In Katorea

"Why can't I join the rebles? I hate the King too!"

"Farafra, show him…" The big man removed part of his coat to show the child two terrible wounds. Part of his shoulder is missing and he lost his hand.

"This is what happens in battle." Kohza said "Do you want to see the hospital ward? The cemetery?"

"I'm not scared of that stuff!" Kappa said "I want to fight too! Things like injuries or death aren't going to scare me away!"

"If that's the case then go home, because we're of different opinions." Kohza said "All of us are scared…none of us want to fight."

"Then why the heck are you fighting?"

"The war's already begun. None of us want to fight! We have no choice but to fight." Kohza said "I SAID GO HOME! THIS IS NO PLACE FOR KIDS!

Kohza yelling finally scared the kid off. A little while later Kohza and many of the other rebels some of the other rebels were meeting to discuss their plans

"What's wrong Kohza? It's not like you to go venting your frustration at a little kid."

"I just couldn't handle how much he reminded me of myself when I was that age."

"Whatever you say."

"How did it go getting weapons?"

"We didn't get nearly as many as we needed. We couldn't get into the armory of the Royal Army."

"Send out a message to all of our forces. As soon as we have enough weapons we will launch an all-out attack on Alubarna."

The Royal Palace in Alubarna

"This isn't a fight between children we're dealing with here." Cobra said

"Your Majesty if we do not attack soon our kingdom may very well fall!" Chaka said

"So what if it does? Would you use that as an excuse to kill our people?" Cobra said "The country is its people. We should not be fighting the rebels. We should be fighting the nameless group who has been operating in the shadows."

"But we don't even have a clue as to who this shadow group is. And by time we do it may be too late. This shadow may envelope our entire kingdom. So please your majesty."

"Absolutely not. Get that through you head."

"Very well your majesty." Chaka said

A little while later Chaka and Pell were talking.

"Without going on the offensive all we can is wait and suppress whatever revolt pops up." Chaka

"It's difficult. We're already at our limits just trying to keep our own soldiers in line." Pell said "I wish Igaram would have told us what he was planning before he ran off."

"Commander Chaka, Commander Pell!" A royal guard said as he came running up to the two leaders of the Royal guard.

"What's going on?" Pell asked

"Carue has just returned to the palace!"

In King Cobra's chambers

While Chaka and Pell were looking over the letter from Vivi, Carue was guzzling down as much water he could as fast as he could.

"I was quite surprised myself. Who would have thought that a Shichibukai would be planning to take over the entire kingdom?"

"I can't believe this." Pell said

"I feel the same way. To think Igaram would give his life for Alabasta. But then again that's just the kind of man he was." Chaka said "Well done Carue. You fought bravely to deliver this letter to us. Carue did something happen to your left wing?"

Chaka went to un-wrap the bandage to take a look but Carue got defensive.

"Alright, I won't touch it." Chaka said

"At last we've found the true enemy. Have the army prepared to move out at once! We cannot allow Vivi's determination and Igaram's sacrifice go to waste."

"But your highness, Rainbase is too far away. The enemy may have no intention of fighting us." Pell said

"Forgive me your majesty, but the hearts of the people are with Crocodile more than they are with you." Chaka said

"Attacking Crocodile now would only incite the rebels further. If we send our troops to Rainbase Alubarna will be defenseless." Pell said

"I don't care if the rebels take the palace, as I've said before the people are the country. Crocodile must be stopped, even at the cost of our own lives. Only then will the people be safe. If we fight the rebels now, Crocodile will have the last laugh." Cobra said

"You're serious." Chaka said

"Chaka, summon my officers and devise a plan of attack. Pell, go on ahead and scout the enemies position. We march at dawn!"

16 hours later. The Straw hats have been walking through the desert. Baroque works operation utopia goes into action in one hour.

"This hasn't been fun." Usopp said

"No it hasn't, but we are so close to our destination." Nami said

"What are you complaining about? Eyelashes has been carrying you the whole way."

"Quiet Usopp." Zoro said " Vivi do you think there are members of Baroque works here?"

"I'm not sure. It may be safer to assume that there are some members here."

"Well, then we all have to be ready to fight." Zoro said

The Straw Hats made it to the city and stopped to rest.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to send Luffy to get water?" Nami asked

"It's never really a good idea to send Luffy to get anything. Hopefully he won't draw any attention to himself." Sanji said

"You know who you are talking about? Right?" Zoro asked

"Of course, but he insisted. I didn't want to waste any energy arguing with him." Nami said

"Just be ready to move. He's still an idiot. Just watch, the marines will be chasing him." Sanji said

Inside a bar Smoker and Tashigi are sitting around talking, waiting for something to happen.

"Why Rainbase Captain Smoker?"

"Call it a hunch, something seems off about this whole country."

"You think Crocodile is involved with that group of criminals?"

"Not sure but I know Princess Vivi and the Straw Hats are involved. I just haven't figured out how they are yet."

Outside the bar

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Usopp asked

"Why not? We are only going to get water." Luffy said

"If I'm not mistaken isn't Smoker inside?"

"Haki getting better?"

"A little, but I think I remember this place."

"You are right. Smoker is inside but let's see how things play out."

"Fine. Let's go."

Usopp and Luffy walk into the bar and walk up to the counter.

"Five barrels of water." Usopp said

The owner of the bar brought out two barrels, one for Luffy and the other for Usopp. They began chugging the water.

"We have to wait for someone to make a move." Smoker said

Luffy finished downing some water and looked to his left.

"Oh, hey Smokey." Luffy said without any concern and went back to drinking some water. The owner of the bar put down the other three barrels and went to tend to the other customers.

Smoker looked to his right to see who was talking to him. When he recognized who was standing next to him and he stood up. "Mugiwara!"

"What are you doing here Smokey?"

"Looking for you. You are making my job too easy."

"Really, okay then. See you later." Luffy said before he grabbed two barrels and took off for the door with Usopp running close behind him.

Back inside the bar

"Tashigi call for backup, I'm going after them." Smoker took off

"Where to next?" Usopp asked

"We head back to everyone else."

"With Smoker chasing after us?"

"Sure, why not?" Luffy said

A few minutes later Usopp and Luffy had almost made it back to the crew. But of course the Marines were already chasing after them.

"What did I tell you?" Sanji said

"Like clock work." Nami said

"When did Chopper disappear?" Vivi asked

"A little while ago. Don't worry about him, he will be fine." Zoro said before the crew started running away from the Marines. "We will figure everything out later."

"They sure are good at running away." Smokers said.

"Running around Baroque Works is sure to notice us." Zoro said

"Vivi where do we have to go?" Luffy asked

"You see the building with the Bananagator on top?" Vivi said "That's rain dinners. Crocodile owns that building."

"Alright, everyone meet up there." They all split up and went in different directions to get away from the Marines.

Vivi and Zoro ended up running in the same direction. Vivi went ahead.

'I hope Zoro will be ok.' Vivi thought while she was running.

Zoro stopped to buy Vivi some time. He had no problem taking down random Marines. But then Tashigi caught up to her men.

"Well, shit." Zoro said

"Rorono Zoro, we meet again."

"I don't feel like fighting you right now." Zoro said before he took off. 'I have to find Usopp and Nami. They can take care of themselves. I'm sure Luffy will get caught again.'

Smoker ended up chasing Luffy

"What do you want Smokey?"

"To catch you. But I'm curious as to why Princess Vivi is traveling with you?"

"I'm sure you will figure it out eventually." Luffy said

Nami and Usopp went ahead, leaving Sanji to take care of a group of Marines. They ran past quite a few Baroques Works agents and finally made their way to the front of Rain Dinners. A few moments later Zoro caught up. Soon after Luffy made his way there but, he was followed by Smoker.

"Let's go inside." Luffy yelled as he ran in

In the secret room beneath Rain Dinners

"I just got word from the millions that Vivi and the pirates are in town. They are likely heading this way as we speak." Robin said

"Be sure to let our guests in when they get here." Crocodile said.

"Yes, sir." Robin said as she turned to walk away

Back upstairs Luffy, Zoro, Nami &amp; Usopp made their way made their way across the bridge and through the front door of the casino. Soon after followed by Smoker who made his way past the bouncers at the front door.

"CROCODILE" Luffy yelled

"Sir, we have a problem. There are some strange people running around."

"Let the guards handle them, that's what we pay them for."

Three men placed themselves in the path of the pirates. "Are we going to have to use force to get you to leave this establishment?" The large guard in the center asked.

"I would like to see you try." Luffy said before he ran threw them sending them off in various directions before he continued running towards the back of the casino.

Robin made her way upstairs and went to talk with the man in charge on the floor. "Lead our guests to the V.I.P. room."

"Manager, are you sure?"

"Of course, it's on Crocodiles orders."

"Very well." He said as he walked over and pointed the pirates and smoker in the right direction.

"Looks like they are pointing us to the boss." Zoro said

"Makes this easy." Luffy said

'So, they are in league with Crocodile. But why make a scene like this instead of setting up a meeting and going to talk with him?' Smoker thought to himself. 'If I follow them they will lead me right to Crocodile.'

Luffy and crew made it through the big door that did in fact lead to a VIP room. But of course their were two options at the end of the hall. Luffy went right, because the sign said pirates. Even though this happened once before they would rather fall into the same trap than an all new one. They may have also ended up in the same trap..

"Well this stinks." Luffy said as he looked around at the dead end. "Who would build something like this?"

With all five gathered at the end of the hall, the floor opened up. Comically they all stood their for a second before they all went down into the darkness. When they got up from their fall they were in a cage lined with kairoseki.

"Well this sucks." Luffy said.

"Why would you follow the sign that said pirates?" Nami asked.

"Well, we aren't this guys VIP's so we weren't going that way."

"It really is pointless arguing with you isn't it?"

"So where are we?" Luffy said completely ignoring Nami

"For a moment I thought you were working with Crocodile." Smoker said. "But you wouldn't be foolish enough to get caught it a trap if you were."

"So what do we do now?" Luffy asked to no one in particular as he went to sit down on the bench that wrapped around three walls of the cell.

"We sit here and wait." Smoker said who was also sitting down on the bench.

"What are you still doing here Smokey?" Luffy asked

"I can't leave, if I could I would be gone by now. But this cage is preventing me from leaving. It's made out of Kairoseki and it emits the same energy as the ocean."

"So both you and Luffy can't touch the stuff." Zoro said

"This is a lot more civil that I anticipated. I figured you would be at each others throats or at the very least arguing with each other." Crocodile said from his chair

"Waste of time and energy." Luffy said

"That aside, what are you doing here Smoker? I am certain the government didn't send you here. They think that I am just here to protect this country. You are most likely doing whatever you please again aren't you?"

"I'm sure you know by now that I don't trust any of the Shichibukai."

"Of course, but I don't really care. I sent my partner to got fetch the guest of honor."

Around the same time as Luffy and company were making their way into the casino Vivi was fighting and had been cornered.

"You did well to beat so many of out comrades princess. But that should be expected considering you were a frontier agent." One of the millions said

'I can't die here. Everyone should be waiting for me at Rain Dinners.'Vivi thought

"Give up princess."

Just as the million said that Pell came flying in guns blazing he swooped down and picked Vivi up. They flew over to the roof of a building close by.

"Pell the Falcon, Alabastas strongest warrior." Another million said

"Princess Vivi I am glad to see that you are alright. We were worried about you."

"I'm fine Pell. I'm sure you read my letter."

"Yes we did. Your father was very happy to hear that you were ok."

"Forgive me, princess. But allow me to take out the rest of these people." Pell said before he transformed into a bird an took out all of the Baroque works millions. Moments later he flew back up to the roof and stood at the princesses side.

"Your flying never ceases to amaze me." Vivi said

Pell was going to respond but Robin had already made her way to the roof.

"Well, isn't this a touching reunion." Robin said

"Miss All Sunday." Vivi said

"Who is she?" Pell asked

"She is Crocodile's partner. They are behind what is happening to the country."

Hearing those words Pell went to attack Robin.

"Ceis fleur." Robin said and sprouted arms all over Pell's body. "Speed isn't effective against me." She said followed by "Clutch" The noise that followed was rather sickening.

"Pell!" Vivi said worried.

"Don't worry about him. He will be fine. Now why don't we go meet Crocodile." 'I'm sorry Vivi. I didn't want to do that. But I've got to keep up appearances. I have to play the bad guy for now. Hopefully someday you will be able to forgive me for what I have been apart of.'

Back at Rain Dinners

"I'm surprised that you can be so patient Luffy." Nami said

"Yeah, well this kairoseki doesn't help things."

"Would you wake up." Nami yelled and hit Zoro.

"Why shouldn't I nap. It's not like we can get out of here."

"I'm surprised. You aren't anything like what I have heard from my sources." Crocodile said. He sounded a little surprised.

"I've gotten good at being patient. When I fight you, you will see the side I'm sure you've heard about."

"If you get a chance to fight me you mean." Crocodile said

"CROCODILE" Vivi screamed from the top of the staircase

"Well, our special guest has arrived. Welcome Miss Wednesday or rather Nefertari Vivi princess of Alabasta. I'm surprised that you were able to make it as far as you did before my partner had to intervene. It's so difficult to find good help these days."

"I couldn't die, I had to make it here. I would do anything to protect my country."

"I wouldn't be so hasty princess. Your precious kingdom will fall."

While Crocodile was talking to Vivi, Luffy was talking to smoker. "Hey smokey." Luffy said

"What do you want straw hat?"

"You must be at least a little familiar with any powers he might have."

"Only a little. I know only what we get from reports."

"Feel like sharing what his powers might be?"

"He ate the suna suna no mi. A sand logia devil fruit."

"That's helpful. So he is like you then?"

Smoker only nodded. As they finished that little conversation Vivi took out her kujaku slasher and her kujaku string slasher. She ran down the stairs and went to attack Crocodile.

"Those aren't going to work." Smoker said

Vivi attacked Crocodile but he didn't even flinch. She took off his head as well as the top part of the chair he was sitting on but Crocodile was unharmed.

"Are you satisfied Miss Wednesday?" Crocodile said as he reformed around her. "Living in this country you should know the exact nature of my powers. Maybe I should turn you into a mummy, just to set an example." Crocodile said as he held Vivi by her throat.

"Don't hurt her you bastard. Just wait till I get out of here." Luffy said

"Such big talk coming from a rookie. You haven't been out on the sea, what a couple of months? You think you can fight me?" Crocodile dropped Vivi into a seat and climbed down off the table. "It's time for the party to begin."

In the capital of Alubarna, Chaka and the guards went to look for the king who had gone missing. In the port town of Nanohana Mr.2 used his powers to disguise himself as the king. He ordered the town be destroyed. His lackeys disguised as royal guards set parts of the town on fire. He kicked the kid who wanted to join Kohza. Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger somehow got a huge ship to crash into town. That ship just happened to be filled with weapons that would fuel the resistance. Kohza was shot. The fake Royal Army set fire to some buildings in town. The kid found out that the king was a fraud and was attacked by the Mr. 1 pair. Mr. 2, Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger met up and made their way out of the city. The citizens of the twon were left to put out the fires that had been started. News spread around the country quickly. The actions of the "king" only added fire to the rebellion. Chaka and the Royal guard in Alubarna will stand against the rebellion

Outside Rain Dinners

"Everyone must already be inside." Sanji said

"We still have work to do out here if that's the case." Chopper said

"Yeah, we have to deal with all of these flunkies."

Inside Rain Dinners

"By now all of the pieces should be falling into place."

"How can you do this?" Vivi asked

"Isn't it ironic that the love for one's country is what will destroy it in the end. All of the hassle I had to go through to get this far has been worth it. Do you know why I want to control your country so badly, Miss Wednesday?"

"How could I understand what's going on in your rotten head?" Vivi said clearly annoyed and angry that someone could care so little for the people of a country. Vivi knocked the chair over and fell to the floor.

"What do you think you're doing Miss Wednesday?"

"We can stop you! We will make it in time. We just have to go directly to Alubarna. We might be able to stop the rebellion if we get there first. I won't allow your plan to succeed."

"Really, well we were planning on going there as well. I have something I need to ask your father."

"What are you planning to do to my father?"

"You've got a decision to make. Which is more to you your people or your father?" Crocodile asked. "If you want come with us you are welcome to." Crocodile said as he pulled out a key from his pocket.

"A key?" Vivi said surprised

"Or do you want to save them?" He said as he was waving the key, taunting Vivi. That was before he stepped on the floor and a trap door opened up. He tossed the key through the open door. "Oops."

"How could you?"

"Go get it. You have to hurry. There are about 8 hours left until the killing begins. I don't think you will have the time to get to Alubarna from here. You would have to leave right now or else hundreds of thousands will die! It's up to do what you want to do. But to open the cage you would have to go into the bananawani pit to get it."

"Look at those things, they are huge." Nami said

"So this room is underwater." Zoro said

A bananawani swam into the glass enclosure and swallowed the key. Unbeknownst to the rest to some that is the wani that swallowed Mr. 3.

"What is going on Vivi?" Nami asked

"A bananawani just swallowed the key!" Vivi said shocked

"They will eat anything that I throw down there."

'That bastard.' Nami thought. 'Wait a second, He didn't toss the key to this cage down there. He could toss any key, we wouldn't know the difference.'

"Well then, we're going to be taking out leave now." Crocodile said "In one hour this room will flood and it will become a part of the Rainbase lake. What do you do princess? Save your citizens or these worthless pirates?"

"All of this was too easy. There are so many idiots in this country. Those young rebels even that old man digging those holes in Yuba?

"You did that didn't you? To the old man?"

"I take it you know who I am talking about? He's a stupid old geezer who keeps trying to revive that oasis. It's hilarious, he thinks he can overcome the sandstorms. Tell me Straw Hat, do you think sandstorms can hit the same town successfully so many times?" Crocodile said as he created a small sandstorm in his hand.

"I won't let you get away with that." Luffy said

Crocodile began to walk down the underwater corridor that leads away from the secret room. Robin looked back at her future crew. She turned away and followed Crocodile. As they walked away water started to flow into the room.

Vivi was so frustrated and upset. She was powerless to stop Crocodile whether or not she wanted to accept that fact.

"Vivi, get up." Nami said

"Vivi, we need your help. Don't worry about him for now." Luffy said "You need to get us out of here."

"Luffy-san" Vivi stood up and focused herself.

"I will kick his ass when we get out of here."

"Don't get too conceited little man." Crocodile said

"We will just have to see about that." Luffy said

A bananawani came up through a hatch in the floor in front of Crocodile and Robin.

"If your going to abandon them, now's the time to do so Miss Wednesday. You want to stop the rebellion right?"

The wani walked forward and into the room.

"It's enormous." Vivi said

"Run Vivi, you can't fight it." Usopp said

"Look outside. They are all lining up."

"It looks like you are going to try and fight them. I doubt you could kill any of them. The key will be in one of their stomachs."

The wani went to attack Vivi but she was able to get away from the huge jaws. The wani took a large chunk out of the stairs.

Outside Rain Dinners, Sanji and Chopper had taken care of all of the millions except for one.

"What are we going to do with him?" Chopper asked

"We need him for my plan."

"What are you going to have me do?"

"I'm gonna call your boss. Part of the way through I will act like you shot me. You tell him where we are."

Back inside Rain Dinners

Crocodile and Robin had already turned to leave but then the Ko Den Den Mushi rang. The bananawani was about to eat Vivi but stopped. It turned it's attention to the sound coming from down the corridor.

"Hello, Hello." Sanji said "Can you hear me?" Sanji said

"I can hear you. You're one of the millions aren't you?" Robin said.

"Is this getting through? I haven't used one of these Ko Den Den Mushi's before."

"What is it?" Robin said

"Hey, spit out already! What happened?"

"Oh, I've heard this voice before. Hey, thanks for calling, this is the shitty restaurant."

"Shitty restaurant?"

"It sounds like you remember. I'm flattered."

"All of the Straw Hat pirates should be locked in that cage. Does that mean there is more?" Crocodile said

"It's Sanji." Usopp whispered to the others in the cage.

"Sanji-san and Tony-kun are still outside." Vivi said

"Who the hell are you?"

"Me? You can call me Mr. Prince."

"I see, Mr. Prince. Where are you?"

"Now why would I tell you that? If I tell you that you'll just come to kill me. Actually, whether you can or not remains to be seen. Beside I won't give out a lot of information. I'm not an idiot like you Mr. 0." Crocodile was not amused at that last comment.

"Mr. Prince, come save us." Usopp yelled. "We've been captured!"

"Sounds like you have my crew. I guess I just… Bang! A gun shot rang out" Sanji stopped talking.

Just before he stopped talking Sanji signaled Chopper. He discharged one bullet harmlessly into the water nearby.

Back inside Rain Dinners.

"Mr. Prince." Usopp yelled

Back outside Sanji was still holding on to the million. He signaled him to talk.

"Hello, What should we do with this weirdo?"

"Where are you? Report your location."

"Yes, sir. I am at the front gate of the casino called Rain Dinners in Rainbase." Robin hung up the Ko Den Den Mushi.

Outside of Rain Dinners

"Your acting was very believable. Thanks for that." Sanji said

"Are you going to let me go?"

"No sir." Sanji said before he knocked out the already beat up million.

"Their boss will be coming outside pretty soon. You know what to do right Chopper?"

"Yeah, I know what to do."

"Make sure you lose him."

"No problem. Don't you have somewhere you need to be?"

"You're right. Just be careful. It looks like more of their friends have shown up."

Chopper and Sanji went their separate ways. Chopper made his way across the bridge and announced himself as Mr. Prince. He took care of any of the remaining millions that were still across the bridge outside the casino.

Back inside the secret room

"That idiot, he better be ok." Nami said

"Kuhahahaha! Very well, let's go to the front gate.

"Are you sure the millions still don't know who their boss is?" Robin said

"I'm not going as the boss of Baroque Works. No one but the numbered agents knows who we are. What would be so odd about Crocodile, the owner of the casino showing his face on the floor?" Crocodile said

Vivi tried to escape up the stairs but didn't get very far. Crocodile used his powers to extend his arm to grab Vivi with his hook.

"Don't think you will be able to get away so easily Miss Wednesday."

Crocodile and Robin made their way up what remained of the stairs. "If you love your friends so much, then you can die with them. This room is going to flood soon." Crocodile and Robin made their way through the doors and closed them.

"That bastard." Luffy said

Crocodile walked through the V.I.P. doors and onto the floor of the casino. The people were surprised but happy to see him. He made his way through the casino and outside.

"What the hell happened?" Crocodile asked annoyed and surprised.

"With what Pell the Falcon did, all of the millions in town have been wiped out." Robin said

"What happened?"

"This guy called himself Mr. Prince!"

'They didn't capture him?' Crocodile thought. "Where did he go?"

"He headed south through town."

"Just now?" Crocodile said. He looked around. Chopper was "hiding" next to a building not far from where Crocodile was standing. "There…piece of shit. Don't think you can get away from me."

"Why don't you let him go?"

"Be silent, he killed all of my employees. I will not be humiliated like this!" Crocodile said as he used his powers to propel himself towards the person he believes to be Mr. Prince.

Around the same time Crocodile was making his way through his casino the bananawani was about to attack Vivi. She was able to hurt the wani and dodge its bite. She managed to make her way over the bananagator and up onto the stairs.

"She got away." Nami said

One more bite from the gator destroyed more of the stairs and also broke some windows allowing more water to start flowing in.

While Crocodile was looking to find Mr. Prince, Vivi was looking to get out of that room. "I will be back, I'm going to find help. So just wait a little longer."

Outside the casino, Sanji destroyed the bridge to Rain Dinners. The people inside were panicking. All they felt was a rumble. But not long after they found out what had happened to their only into and out of the casino.

"What caused it to fall?" One person inside the casino asked.

Back outside Robin heared the bridge fall into the water. 'Go get our crew our of their Sanji-san.' Robin thought. Back inside Vivi made her way up to the VIP doorway.

"The bridge fell?" Vivi said surprised. She started running towards the door. "I can't get outside?"

"No, it's not that you can't get outside. Baroque Works can't get inside. All according to plan." Sanji said as he was sitting at slot machine.

"Sanji-san." Vivi said surpised but that turned into joy as she realized that help had already arrived.

"Chopper is running through town as a decoy. We better hurry, the rebellions started. Just tell me where to go, princess."

"Tony-kun is a decoy?" Vivi asked

"Yeah, he'll be fine. Let's hurry, Vivi-chan. Tell me what's going on."

"Okay. But Sanji-san didn't you get shot?"

"Who me?

In town Crocodile was still looking for Mr. Prince. Chopper had managed to get away from Crocodile long enough to transform into his brain point. To Crocodile he seemingly disappeared.

"Where are you hiding Mr. Prince? I will find you and I will kill you."

The secret room beneath rain dinners continued to fill up with water. The Bananagator turned it's attention to the people in the cage. Luffy returned to sitting on the bench with smoker. Nami started yelling at the gator. She was trying to provoke it to attack the cage. It worked. But the kairoseki destroyed its teeth.

"How much do you know about Crocodile's partner?" Smoker asked

"Nothing really." Nami said "Why?"

"She's been on the run from the World Government for 20 years. The bounty on her head is more than 70 million beri. She is bad news. This is no longer just about the take over of a single country. With her involved this is something that could envelope the whole world."

"The whole world?" Usopp asked "What has she done?"

While they were talking Sanji and Vivi made their way through the VIP doors and into the secret room.

"Anti-manner kick course." Was all they heard before the bananagator was sent into the air. The gator coughed up a lot of rubble from the stairs it had eaten. "Were you guys waiting long?"

"Great job Vivi." Luffy said

Sanji was dancing like an idiot. "Stop screwing around you swirly bastard and find the key."

His focus quickly changed to the gators that had made their way up into the secret room. "Would you look at all of them. How do you cook bananawani? What would they taste good with? Either way, bring on you damn bananas. I have to knock some manners into assholes who would harma a lady."

"We don't have time to play around. Just kick their asses." Usopp said

"Get the third one that entered the room." Smoker said

"How can you tell?"

"Your ears are for decoration aren't they?"

"The growl is the same one that ate the key."

Sanji went to attack that gator but instead of a key they got something much better. Mr. 3 had encased himself in a wax ball so he would be safe and not get digested.

"What the hell is that?"

A few seconds later Mr. 3 emerged from the wax ball yelling "Freedom." He saw the water at his feet and yelled, "It's a miracle."

"It's him." Zoro said

"Mr. 3, why were you inside the bananagator's stomach?" Vivi asked

Mr. 3 wasn't paying attention. He was too busy drinking all the water he could. "I am revived. I thought I was a goner." He continued talking to himself.

He looked around and saw that a key had stuck to his wax ball. He continued looking around to find out his surroundings. He quickly figured out what was going on.

"I have grasped your plight. I guess you want this key?" Mr. 3 asked. "Why don't you go find it." Mr. 3 tossed the key into the water.

"Don't bother looking for the key Sanji." Usopp said. "He ate the doru doru no mi. He should be able to make a new key for the lock."

"Understood." Sanji said. "Now do you understand?" Sanji asked Mr. 3.

"Why would I help you?" He asked

Sanji kicked his ass just enough to understand that he was no match and had no chances of getting away.

"Fine." Mr. 3 said as he used his powers to make a key that would work within the lock. With a turn the key it was unlocked and the door opened.

"Thanks, now have a nice nap candle man." Sanji said before he kicked him in the face knocking him out.

Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Smoker and Usopp walked through the door.

"Let's go, we don't have much time. The tunnel should lead to Alubarna but there are too many bananagators to fight." Vivi said before she turned to look at what happened while she was thinking of a plan. Luffy and Zoro beat up the remaining gators.

"That was hardly a warm up." Luffy said

Vivi looked depressed. "I could barley do anything against one. They knocked out the rest effortlessly."

"Don't try and compare yourself to them. The are monsters." Usopp said

"You dumbasses." Nami yelled. "Your fighting caused the wall to crack. Water is going to start rushing in even faster now."

Seconds later they were engulfed in a torrent of water. They had to act very quickly or Luffy would drown. Sanji went after Luffy, Zoro after Smoker, Usopp, Nami and Vivi swam up to the surface under their own power.

Around the time the Straw Hats are making their way out of the water Crocodile and Robin have made their way back into the casino. They headed right for the room that would likely be underwater by now.

"He destroyed the bridge to buy them time. There must still be more of them out there." Crocodile said

"Was that to sneak past us to get to the room?" Robin asked

"Probably, but it won't work. Even if they get the key that was swallowed by the gator the cage won't open because I have the real key right here."

"You are an evil man." Robin said kind of joking.

"It's time I kill those runts myself." Crocodile said as he opened the double door. What he saw angered him. All of his gators were beaten, the cage door was open and Mr. 3 was floating on the water with a note on his chest reading "See you later, shitty gator. Mr. Prince." Crocodile dropped the key he had been so smug about holding onto just moments earlier. They quickly departed to the edge of town to find the Straw Hats.

Back with the Straw Hats

"Nami-san." Sanji said "Do you still have that perfume you bought back in Nanohana?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Put it on."

Smoker coughed up any water he swallowed and was quickly on the offensive. "Why did you save me Roronoa Zoro?"

"I was only following captain's orders. You don't have to thank me okay. It was just on one of his whims."

"Then I assume you don't have any complaints if I have to complete my duties as a member of the Marines?"

"This is what we get for saving a Marine." Sanji said.

A short distance away the Marines have gathered and are getting ready to pursue the Straw Hats.

Luffy woke up after he spat up all of the water he had swallowed.

"Luffy, let's get out of here." Usopp said

"Go." Smoker said "Only this one time will I let you get away. The next time we meet you're a dead man. Remember that Straw Hat Luffy."

"There they are! The Straw Hat crew!" A marine said

The rest of the crew had already started running away. "Hurry the marines are coming! Which way to Alubarna?" Sanji asked

"What are you doing Luffy?"

"Right, you guys go ahead I will catch up."

"Yeah, ok." Zoro said before he took off."

"You know, you're not too bad Smokey." Luffy said

"Get the hell outta here." Smoker said going to attack Luffy. Luffy ran off to catch up with his friends.

"Hurry, they're getting away." A marine said

"Captain! Aren't you going to chase them?" Another marine asked

"No, I'm tired."

"Tired, sir?"

"Call the men back who ran after them. They aren't going to be able to catch them. Also call headquarters. Tell them to send all Marine ships in the vicinity straight to Alabasta."

"Call for reinforcements? But I don't think the higher ups will let them go fight such a small number of pirates."

"Since when did I listen to my superiors' opinions."

"Yes, sir. Right away."

Back with the Straw Hats

"I can smell Nami's perfume. The scent is getting stronger. She is that way." Chopper said

"Where is Chopper?" Usopp asked

"He's fine. Just look ahead."

Chopper and Eyelashes found a moving crab to transport them across the desert.

"There they are." Chopper said

"That thing will give us a ride?" Luffy asked

"He's one of eyelash's friends."

"So he's a pervert too." Zoro said

"Let's get on and head for Alubarna. We can't waste any more time here." Vivi said

Everyone climbed onto the large moving crab and they took off. Soon after they left Crocodile's hook appeared. He went to grab Vivi but Luffy got in the way and left himself be pulled towards Crocodile.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll be fine by myself. Just make sure you get there and get Vivi to the palace."

"Chopper head straight for Alubarna." Zoro said

"But what about Luffy-san?" Vivi asked. She was the only one who was actually visibly nervous at the thought of Luffy going after a Shichibukai by himself.

"You've seen the things he can do. You can only imagine what you haven't seen. Guys like this are no problem for Luffy." Nami said

"Have some faith in Luffy." Zoro said "He will be fine."

"Besides, don't we have something else to worry about right now?" Sanji asked

"We have to worry about the clash between the Rebels and the Royal Army." Nami said

"We have to get you back to Alubarna. It doesn't matter what happens to us." Zoro said

"The marimo is right. Years ago you left your country to fight against an organization you knew nothing about. However you're not fighting by yourself anymore." Sanji said as he walked past Vivi after watching Luffy fly off to fight Crocodile.

"Luffy-san. We'll be waiting for you in Alubarna!" Vivi yelled.

"See you there." Luffy yelled as he was pulled toward Crocodile.

"So, the princess ran out on us." Crocodile said "So be it. The agents in Alubarna should be done with their duties soon. Call them." Crocodile said to Robin "I think you have gotten in a little over your head Straw Hat Luffy."

"She's so weak but she tries to save everything she can. She can't bear to abandon anything so she's always in pain. She wants the rebellion to end without anyone dying."

"Without anyone dying?" Crocodile said "There are many weak, sentimental fools like that. They don't know anything about a real fight. You agree with me don't you?"

"I agree, but as long as you're in this country she will fight you to her grave. That's why I'm going to stop you right here."

"Kuhahahaha! That's ridiculous. I will make an example out of you. Those who conspire with others will die because of it."

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

"Ahahaha" Robin started laughing

"What's so funny?" Crocodile said annoyed. "Do you want to die as well Nico Robin?"

"Do as you wish. But what happened to your promise of not calling me by that name?" Robin said before she started to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going ahead to Alubarna."

"Crazy woman." Crocodile said before he threw an hourglass at Luffy's feet. "I've only got three minutes. After that I won't have time to play with you anymore."

"Fine by me." Luffy said before he started to run at Crocodile. As he was running he wound up and sent his right arm flying towards Crocodile. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol."

Crocodile easily evaded the attack. He didn't even have to turn into sand he simply dodged it by bending down slightly. Crocodile countered by trying to attack Luffy with his hook but he dodged it just as easily.

"Gomu Gomu no Stamp." Luffy said before he kicked Crocodile. But his foot went clean through him. Luffy landed on the ground and dusted his shorts off. "That's not going to work."

"Of course it's not going to work Straw Hat. You can't hit me. Your puny attacks will never affect a logia fruit user."

"Rifle" Luffy said as he brought his fist back and still nothing.

"Did you expect that to work?" Crocodile asked. The tone in his voice was that of pure boredom.

"You won't hit me."

"I'm pretty sure I can hit you."

"You can keep telling yourself that. But you should know that we are in completely different leagues."

"You're right. We are in different leagues."

"Desert Spada" Crocodile said as he sent a blade of sand through the ground towards Luffy. But Luffy was fast enough to get out of the way.

"That was too close for comfort." Luffy said.

"That would have cleaved you in two if you didn't get out of the way."

"Yeah, no shit. Look at the ground."

"Why do you struggle? You agreed with me that there is a huge gap in our strength, yet you still try to attack me."

"Just because there is a gap now doesn't mean that will always be there. It also doesn't mean that you are superior to me."

"Say whatever you want if you think it will help. You haven't shown me anything to make me believe that's true. It seem like you may have only scratched the surface with you devil fruit powers. They can be very strong in battle depending on how you use and train them. Most idiots would be content to merely possess a devil fruit. But I've honed my powers to perfection!"

"I saw what you did to one of your lackeys. It certainly looks like you have."

"Are you mocking me? I've had my fruit for over two decades."

"No." Luffy said as he avoided another one of Crocodiles attacks.

"I will make you wish you never opposed me." Crocodile said. "Desert Girasole" The sand around Luffy began to flow down. "Beneath us is an underground river, the sand is being dragged into it. This is handy for making people disappear. No coffin necessary. I just have to wait for the sand to swallow you whole."

"I won't let you bury me alive." Luffy said as he was trying to run away from the center of the sinking quicksand. "Gomu Gomu no Bazooka." Luffy said as he hit the ground and propelled himself into the air and in front of Crocodile.

"That is almost impressive." Crocodile said, his tone very sarcastic.

"I will never hit you like this. I'm going to have to go faster than you can turn into sand."

"You think that's possible?"

"Not really sure, haven't had a chance to try this against a logia user."

"You seriously think you will be able to hit me?" Crocodile asked

Luffy pumped the blood in his arm "Gear Second" he said as he stood ready to attack.

"Gear Second? Why the hell is there steam coming from your arm?"

"Jet Pistol" Luffy said as he let a punch fly.

Unfortunately punch sailed clean through Crocodile.*

"That is quite the technique you have there. Too bad it still didn't work. That might have hurt if you could've only connected." Crocodile said. "Well would you look at that time's up." He said. "Sables" a small sandstorm formed in his hand. It quickly expanded and grew into a sandstorm that would be formidable in this climate.

Some distance away, across the desert.

Vivi had spent most of her time looking back towards Rainbase. That was when she noticed a sandstorm appear that reached up into the sky. "There's another sandstorm above Rain Base." Vivi said

"Luffy" Nami said. No one else said anything. They were just thinking about last time. Crocodile said he killed Luffy when he stayed behind. But that wasn't the case and it shouldn't be this time.

Back with Luffy and Crocodile

"You are of no threat to me, you have tried and failed to hurt me. I could kill you but that wouldn't be any fun." Crocodile looked up to his most recent creation. "The winds always blow south in this country. If this one travels south and matures where do you think it will hit?"

"Shit." Luffy said as he understood what was going to happen.

"It seems like you're not that stupid after all. If you were thinking Yuba, you would be correct."

Luffy just sat down in the sand and he crossed his arms and let his hat fall to cover his eyes. 'He won't stop it and I can't. Sorry about this old man. I need Crocodile to be exposed as the leader of Baroque Works. I hope you will be alright.'

"I'm not sure what to think about this. You were so quiet in that cage earlier. It seems like you accept what is going to happen?"

"I can't do anything against that storm and you won't stop it. It's going to go where ever it wants."

"There are so many rookies on the Grand Line. Yet you intrigue me. You act so much like them and yet at the same time so much different. You are very reckless but also calculating. I wonder why that is?"

Luffy just shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't spare many people. Count yourself lucky and don't bother coming after me." Crocodile said as he began to walk away. "If you do it will be the last mistake you ever make." Crocodile turned into sand and disappeared.

Around the same time as Crocodile turned into sand and left Luffy alone.

"What the hell are you doing Zoro?" Nami asked as Eyelashes was somehow balancing on one of Zoro's swords.

"Have to keep busy."

"Are you worried about Luffy?"

"I'm not. I know Luffy will kick his ass."

"I can't believe you two haven't started fighting yet." Nami said

"As much as I hate to say it I agree with the marimo. Luffy will be fine. We have no reason to worry."

"You have so much faith in Luffy-san." Vivi said

"Of course we do. He told us he would meet us there. It may take the idiot extra time but he will get there and take care of what he has to. He runs on his own clock but he always gets where he has to be when he has to be there." Sanji said

Nami nodded. "Yeah, he will meet us there but not before one of us gets into trouble."

Back with Luffy

Sometime after Crocodile had disappeared Luffy was still sitting in the sand with his hat still covering his eyes.

"Last time I had to pull you out of the sand. You had a hole in your chest, you were covered in blood and the first word I heard out of your mouth was meat." Robin said as she walked back towards Luffy.

"Robin, you remember?" Luffy asked

"Of course captain."

"When did you…?"

"Get my memories back?" Robin asked, completing Luffy's thought. "It was just after you were sailing away from Whisky Peak. Nami mentioned my mother's journal. All of them came flooding back to me." Robin said

"I'm sorry Robin." Luffy said bowing to Robin.

"What are you doing? You shouldn't be bowing to me." Robin said before Luffy got up off the ground.

"How else am I going to apologize?"

"Apologize? When have you ever apologized for anything?"

Luffy thought about that for too long before Robin interjected.

"You almost never apologize for anything you do, regardless of how stupid or reckless it is."

"I know, but I have had plenty of time to think everything over. I thought I should apologize to you first. So much is going to happen. My actions, as selfish as they were didn't affect just me they affect all of my friends. I don't really know everyone's past but still their isn't a night I don't think about, well think about a lot."

"Just stop right there." Robin said. "Am I angry that you did something reckless and are making us relive our pasts? Yes I am. However I wouldn't have my memories if I wasn't willing to forgive you. I'm sure the rest of the crew feels the same way. We wouldn't have done what we did if we didn't care about you."

"I appreciate that Robin." Luffy said as he stood up. "What's next?"

"I head to Alubarna. An injured Pell the falcon should be not too far away by now."

"You didn't hurt him to bad? Just enough to be convincing."

"Robin." Luffy said in a kind of agitated voice.

"Can't go blowing my cover now." Robin said. "I will see you again in Alubarna. But when this is all over I will meet you at the Going Merry."

"See you there." Luffy said before he stood there with his big smile.

They didn't say anything else before Robin walked away. However she didn't make it very far far before Pell hobbled towards her.

"Hold it right there Miss All Sunday." He said "Now that I understand your powers I will not be beaten so easily."

Robin stopped to turn back to look at Luffy and Pell. Her demeanor changed drastically. "Look at you, you could not even get close to me last time. What do you think you will do this time? Instead of that why don't you go get patched up. I'm sure you and the boy have mush to discuss. He is the young knight who safely escorted your princess home. Besides your princess is safe, she is with his friends. They should be on their way to Alubarna right now." Robin said as she got on the F-wani and disappeared into the horizon.

Listening to what Miss All Sunday said brought Pell to his knees. He had been wondering how he was going to protect princess Vivi. Was the answer to all of his problem right next to him? The answer is yes but, he didn't know that.

Sometime later

Igaram had made his way to Nanohana and was walking through town. The rebels were heading for Alubarna. Crocodile's most recent sand storm had descended upon Yuba. The Straw Hats had made it to the Sandora River and had attempted to cross it, It failed miserably. They encountered a Sandroa Catfish which loves to eat humans. Another thing Vivi failed to mention. Usopp was ready with boaty banana pop greens in case the kung fu dugongs didn't show up. But they did and they took out the fish rather easily. They turned it into a raft and sailed across the river until they made it to the other side.

"Thanks." Vivi said and the dugongs jumped back into the river and swam away.

"What the hell do we do now?" Zoro asked

Off in the distance they saw something coming closer. In just a few minutes the Super spot billed duck squad was standing in front of the group.

"Carue." Vivi said as she went over to hug her duck.

"Well we found our ride." Sanji said.

**Back to the Future Straw Hats**

Luffy and Nami both fell asleep after their first time together. Much to Luffy's surprise a bed had mysteriously appeared in the middle of the cavern. Now one thing about this cave, It's not just any cave. The first time the crew opened the door to this room within the island of Raftel, light dials turned on throughout the room. Those dials placed strategically so as not to blind whoever would one day find this place. The light dials made the gold in the room shine brilliantly. This made for the perfect place for Nami to have her first time with the man she only recently accepted she had feelings for.

Nami was the first to wake up from her nap. She was beyond confused when she found herself in a luxurious bed.'What the hell!' she thought to herself. 'Where did this bed come from?' While she was curious about the bed, her mind began to wander and she began to think about what happened earlier. "Let's see. The last thing I remember was Luffy…" She paused. Her face turned a bright red after she remembered what she said and what they did together. But more specifically what Luffy had done to her. "How long ago was that?" She asked herself. "There is no way to tell how much time has passed in here. But that was definitely worth the wait."

Up until that point she didn't realize the position she was in. Luffy was behind her. Her ass had been up against his crotch the whole time she had been sleeping. Luffy had pulled her so close he had his arm across her side and had his hand resting on her flat stomach. She didn't mind how she found herself when she woke up. She had never been so comfortable. That was when Luffy started to stir.

"Have a nice nap my pirate king?"

"I did my pirate queen, I'm glad I was able to come back." Luffy let go of Nami so she could turn to face him.

"I… did you just call me your pirate queen?"

"Of course, I couldn't imagine having anyone else by my side. I think going through this whole ordeal we figured out our feelings for each other."

"I think you're right." Nami said before she pulled Luffy's head in between her breasts. "I couldn't imagine anyone else by my side either. You better treat me like your queen." Luffy couldn't say anything he just nodded before Nami let go of his neck and he freed himself from between her large breasts.

"I would but I don't know how to do that."

"Don't worry. Things won't change that much while we are on deck. I think things are going to be interesting when we are alone for quite some time."

"You mean doing more sex stuff?" Luffy asked "I think I can do that. But I don't really know what I am doing. With as my partner I would be more than willing to learn."

"Hey, don't think that I know that much more than you. This is all new to me as well."

"We will be learning as we go. I may or may not take more time to figure things out. Guess we will just have to see."

"If last night was any indication I don't think you will have any problems."

"Last night? Were we in here that long?"

"You know, I'm not really sure. I am to comfortable to even bother getting out of bed." Saying that last word triggered something in her brain. The gears started turning and she finally recalled her first thought after she woke up. "Where the hell did this bed come from?" She said. In her voice was a mixture of irritation and disgust that someone was watching her precious first time.

"It must have been that ghost." Nami said

"That's what I figured. But you had fallen asleep and I was too tired to care where this came from."

"That means he used his powers to watch us."

"I did not." A voice from the lamp said as it was hopping closer to the pair in bed.

"Then how did you know where to put a bed?" She asked

"Ok, I was watching. You two put on a good show."

"Pervert." Both Nami and Luffy said

"You're not wrong." The ghost said. "Can I come out?"

"NO" they both yelled before he materialized from the opening in the front of the lamp any way.

"What the hell are you doing?" Nami asked, very obviously pissed off.

"What, I already saw everything."

"Fine, whatever just turn around while I get dressed."

"Why?"

"Why? Because it will make me feel better you pervert."

"Fine. Would some new clothes help?"

Nami didn't have time to say anything before the ghost snapped his fingers and she saw little clouds of smoke from around the room. With the second snap there were two clean outfits on the bed. One set for Nami and one set for Luffy. They quickly put on their new clothes and stood together.

"Alright, turn around." Nami said

"How did you get out of the lamp?" Luffy asked

"I can come and go as I please once someone rubs the lamp. When, if I fulfill your third wish I will be forcibly sucked back into the lamp to await someone else to come and find it."

"That's awful."

"It's not so bad. I know what's going on around the world at all times."

"PERVERT."

"Not like that, just current events as a whole. It would take way to much power to spy on everyone while they have sex."

"Okay, I have had enough." Nami said "No more talk about my or anyone else's sex lives."

"Fine. I won't bring it up anymore."

"So what now?" Luffy asked

"While, I technically granted what would equal three wishes your friend never said I wish for what I did. I guess you have two more."

That was when the ko den den mushi rang. "Hello, you guys done in there?" Franky asked

Nami picked up the den den mushi she forgot she still had and started talking. "Yeah, we are all done. What is going on outside?"

"Not a hell of a lot. I was able to get some work done but other than that it's been quiet."

"Is the crew with you?"

"Yeah, they are here. What's up?"

"Do any of you have any more wishes?"

"Hold on."

Everyone thought for a minute but the answer was a resounding no.

"They would be great to use but they are more trouble than they are worth." Usopp said

"So what happens now? We don't really need any more wishes. Even if we did want to use them could you?"

"Maybe, not really sure. Before the Roger Pirates in all the centuries I have been here no one has found this place. I won't know who will find this place next."

"Can't you look into the future?" Nami asked

"That wouldn't be any fun."

"Alright then." Nami said before she talked into the ko den den mushi. "I want everyone to come down here. After that we can go." Nami said

Not long after that the remaining Straw Hats made their way through the cave and into the treasure room. Jinbe was with them. This was his first time in here and he was speechless. It truly was a sight to behold. Jinbe had been meeting with the division commanders.

"This place is amazing. The only other treasure in the world that could remotely compare to this is the treasure possessed by the Happo Navy." Jinbe said

"Why did you want everyone to come down here?" Usopp asked

"I thought the spirit could tell us about this place and how he ended up here."

"I thought he didn't remember." Sanji said

"I don't remember everything but I think I remember enough."

*I decided for this story at least that no matter how fast an attack is it won't hit a logia without haki. It doesn't matter how fast they can react. The only exception to this particular rule of mine is Eneru. Luffy had and will have no trouble hitting Eneru without haki because Luffy's body doesn't conduct electricity.

* * *

**The****HeartsPath: Hope this was enjoyable**

**blackfirekinkoncor: I don't think any of the crew will be doing what Luffy did. I hope to make the future islands interesting. They should be crazy enough to feel realistic in the New World. Any changes that are made in the past won't effect the crew in the future and they won't have any knowledge of it happening. **

**ShadowHunter19288: Won't be doing that.**

**Xerzo LotCN: It was not directed at you. There will be limes and more lemons. It will end like it should. I hope to have some fun with Skypiea. **

**Tsukino Aisuru: Was the sexy time stuff good? Do you happen to recall any of your thoughts from before that?**

**Tonlor: Hopefully the lemons were enjoyable. **

**midnightscar17: Way too long between updates. Hope this was good. **

**Chrisfragger: It's not going to be a porn fic. There will be stuff of that nature. It won't be in every chapter. **

**gamelover41592: Thanks, hope you like at least part of this.**


	22. Alabasta part 4, Fighting Baroque Works

"We don't have a lot of time to sit around. We have to get to the capital as fast as possible." Sanji said

"That will be no problem. The super spot billed duck squad is the fastest in Alabasta." Vivi said

"How many numbered agents do we have to fight?" Nami asked "Any obstacles we will have to face around the city?"

Vivi counted out on her fingers each of the probable players still left. "We have seven left. That number is only counting up to the 4 pair. But we have to assume that that number could double or triple. We should assume that any available agents are already in the city waiting. As far as obstacles go, the only thing I can think of are the main stairs cases that are the only entrance into and out of the city."

"We should only focus on the remaining top agents of Baroque Works. The rest won't take that much time fighting." Zoro said

"Alright, everyone pair off with a duck." Sanji said. It only took a minute for the crew to pair off. Even Eyelashes had a duck of his own. "We have to assume they are going to do all in their power to slow you down Vivi-chan. We will act as your decoys to draw them away from you so you can get to the palace. At least I assume that's where you are going to go."

"Yes, that will be my first or second stop. I guess only time will tell." Vivi said

"Before we reach the capital we will pair off and fight whoever we come up against. Vivi it's a good thing you mentioned those stairs. The memebers of Baroque works will probably be at the bottom of those sets of stairs waiting for us. When we get close to the city we will go ahead of you and you will stay behind. When it's clear you make your way up the stairs." Nami said

"Thank you all so much. You have no idea what this means to me."

"Don't thank us yet. We still have to get through all of this. Once Crocodile had been exposed then we can celebrate." Nami said

"One last thing." Usopp said before he pulled seven white cloaks out his bag. "This way they won't be able to tell who is who."

With their identical cloaks on they each climbed on the back of their respective duck and took off for Alubarna. Around the same time the rebels were nearing the city. In Alubarna, Chaka was left in command as King Cobra had disappeared in the middle of the night. Pell was in Rainbase with Luffy. Igaram was making his way back to Alubarna.

In Alubarna

"Chaka-sama, the rebels are about 15km away." One guard said

"The rebels will be here within the hour. East, West, South, South East &amp; South West. Protect all of the gates into the city." Chaka yelled

"YES, SIR." All of the guard responded.

Outside the west gate into the city the five agents from one to four were waiting.

"Hey, Hey, Hey, those pirates and the princess better be coming they wanted to stop this fight right?" Miss Merry Christmas said "I can hear the rebels off in the distance."

"They might not make it in time. They were in Rainbase for a while." Miss Doublefinger said

"So if the rebels show up first what are we supposed to dooo?" Mr. 2 said

"We kill the ones we were told to kill." Mr. 1 said

"They're coming." Mr. 4 said in his drawn out manner of speaking

"What? Spit it out." Miss Merry Christmas said as she took the binoculars from Mr. 4. "Ducks?"

"What are you talking about?" Miss Doublefinger asked

"There are six ducks coming this way." Miss Merry Christmas said "Without Straw hat there should only be four."

"No that could be right Miss Merry Christmas. The boss said that Mr. Prince guy was a part of their group. It's entirely possible that there were people we had no idea about." Miss Doublefinger said

"No matter. Our target is still the princess." Mr. 1 said

With the Straw Hats a short time ago.

"This should be good." Zoro yelled out. They all came to a stop.

"This is a good place for you to wait Vivi." Nami said

"The rebels are getting closer." Sanji said "Once we leave you are on your own. Go to the palace, don't try to stop the rebels by standing in their path. You're only going to get trampled, there is no way they will hear you yell at them to stop."

Vivi didn't say anything. She just nodded. If she was going to be honest that was her plan all along. But Sanji was right. "You're right. They will not hear me and I can't get them to stop that quickly."

"Just remember Vivi, even once we leave you to take care of Baroque Works you won't be alone for long. Luffy will find you. He tends to show up exactly where and when he needs to be somewhere. You've seen his abilities first hand, he will take down that bastard Crocodile. Once this is all over, just be ready to feed him. The first thing that jackass will be thinking about will be his stomach." Zoro said

Vivi just nodded. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about things like that. "When the time comes, Luffy will be able to eat as much as he wants."

"Be careful Vivi." Nami said as she got off her duck to give Vivi a hug. "Where can we meet when this is all over?"

"You won't be able to walk into the palace. We will meet below the clock tower, it shouldn't be that difficult to find." Vivi said.

The straw hats all nodded before they continued on to Alubarna.

Back to the present

"Our target is the princess but they are all dressed exactly the same." Miss Merry Christmas said

"Well, that's just great." Miss Doublefinger said

"Get them Mr. 4!" Miss Merry Christmas said

Mr. 4 pulled the weapon off of his back and fired a baseball at the Straw Hats and the Super spot billed duck squad.

"Stay away from them." Usopp yelled. Just a few seconds later it exploded

"Those birds are fast, being able to dodge the explosions." Mr. 2 said

After the explosion Usopp and Chopper broke off from the pack and headed for the South East entrance to the city.

"Leave them to us." Miss Merry Christmas said "Let's go Mr. 4!"

Two more broke off and headed for the West gate. The final two headed for the South West gate.

"Dammit, they have their choice of gates to pick from when coming from the west." Miss Doublefinger said

The guards stationed at the top of the west staircase saw something making their way up.

"Somethings coming, is it the enemy?" One guard asked

"No, it's the super spot billed duck squad. Let them in." Another guard yelled

Four of the Straw hats and their ducks made their way into the city with the exception of Usopp and Chopper. They made their way to the ruins outside the city. They did this so that Vivi would be able to do what she has to do.

Once they stopped would all say "Thank you for playing our little game. But you all lose." With that statement they pulled off their cloaks to reveal who would be fighting who.

Usopp and Chopper vs. Miss Merry Christmas and Mr.4

Sanji and Eyelashes vs. Mr. 2

Zoro vs. Mr. 1 and Nami vs. Miss Doublefinger

Some distance outside the city Vivi and Carue were waiting. 'Thank you everyone.' Vivi thought "Let's go Carue."

"Quack" Carue said before they took off for the palace.

"Why the hell do I have to fight the Okama?" Sanji asked himself. 'This brings back too many painful memories.'

"You ready Zoro?" Nami asked

"You seem ready to fight." Zoro said

At the top of one of the stair cases

"Hold the cannonballs down. We can't have them rolling around." Chaka said

"What a tremendous rumble." One guard said

"Of course the earth will tremble, our enemy is over a million strong." Chaka said

"Here they come, ready the cannons." A higher ranking officer said

"Bring Alabasta down." The rebels yelled

"Ignore their numbers! Fire!"

With that, the battle between the Royal guards and the Rebels has begun.

Vivi and Carue made their way up the South-West staircase. The battle was spreading thorough the city but it had not yet made it that far.

With Usopp and Chopper

"Were you able to make your rumble balls?"

"I was. I will need more time to perfect them but they should give me access to the forms I want."

"What are you two just doing standing around?" Miss Merry Christmas said?

"Other than talking, not much." Usopp said

"Let's deal with these two Mr. 4. We still have to take care of princess Vivi."

"We won't let you." Usopp said

"Really, you won't let us?" Miss Merry Christmas said "Why don't we give them a taste of our power Mr. 4."

"Yeah!" Mr. 4 said in his slow elongated tone

Miss Merry Christmas used her devil fruit power to turn into a mole. Mr. 4 took his cannon out of the sling on his back. The gun started walking around.

"What the hell is that?" Usopp said

"His name is Lasso, he is a gun that the inu inu no mi model dachshund."

"The Grand Line is a strange place isn't it Usopp." Chopper said

Miss Merry Christmas dove into the ground and started doing what moles do. She started making tunnels while Mr. 4 grabbed Lasso and fired a few baseballs at the pair of Straw Hats. They were able to avoid getting hit by the baseballs but were unable to avoid the explosions that followed. After a few failed attempts Usopp and Chopper were for the most part getting better at avoiding the explosions. Miss Merry Christmas popped her head out of one of the holes she had made.

"Mr. 4 they are all set." She said as she dove back into the ground and stayed down there, presumably digging more and more interconnected tunnels.

"O-k-a-y." Mr. 4 said in his drawn out tone as he ran over to and hopped into one of the holes in the ground. Mr. 4 started sticking his head out of random holes in the ground. Lasso sneezed and another baseball came flying out of his mouth. This one had been shot directly at Mr. 4. With his bat Mr. 4 hit the baseball back at Usopp and Chopper who had been catching their breath.

"Shit." Usopp said as they started running in the same direction. "We can do this Chopper."

"Yeah, we can." Chopper said "We just have to avoid those explosive baseballs." They split up and started running in two different directions. Most enemies would have to divide their attention. Instead of this Lasso shot two baseballs instead of one. Usopp pulled his Kuro Kabuto out of his satchel as well as some amo. Chopper ran over towards Lasso.

"What are they doing?" Miss Merry Christmas said as she appeared out of one of the holes.

"Namari Boshi." Usopp said as he fired multiple metal balls at the mole lady. He did hit her in the head with one but she used her large hand to block the others.

"You're gonna have to do better than that." Miss Merry Christmas said as she dove back into the ground.

While this was going on Chopper had reached Lasso. "Heavy Point" Chopper yelled as got bigger. He grabbed Lasso, brought him over to a hole in the ground and held his mouth shut. "Ready Usopp." Chopper yelled. Usopp fired a Kosho (Pepper) Boshi at Lasso. The boshi hit Lasso in the nose. He almost instantly looked like he was going to sneeze so Chopper let go of his mouth and pointed him into the ground. As he sneezed he released a barrage of balls into the ground. Usopp and Chopper ran as far as they could before they all exploded.

"Oh no." Miss Merry Christmas said as she ran away from the incoming explosion. She was able to avoid the brunt of the impact by getting close to one of the tops of the tunnels. They for the most part they were largely unaffected. But they were blown out of holes. Mr. 4 didn't show much in way of emotion but Miss Merry Christmas was pissed. Her mouth didn't stop moving.

"How dare you use Lasso against us."

In rapid succession Usopp fired four boshi, two at each of them. Miss Merry Christmas's temper and constantly flapping jaw didn't do her any favors, as she didn't notice Usopp launch anything. One second she was talking the next, two Tokusei Tabasco Boshi landed in her mouth. Tears started forming and she started running around randomly and she just happened to run towards Chopper who pulled out a rumble ball.

"Rumble." Chopper said as he put the Rumble ball in his mouth, bit down and allowing the drug to take effect. "Arm Point." He said as he grew taller and grew massive arm. He ran towards the mole lady and as he hit her he said "Kokutei Cross." Where the attack made contact there was an X shape and she was sent flying into some ruins. The attack combined with the impact with the ruins made the mole lady lose consciousness.

The two items Usopp launched at Mr. 4 were less powerful. They were both Namari (Lead) Boshi. By this point Lasso had recovered from the pepper. While Miss Merry Christmas was running around Mr. 4 went back into the system of tunnels. He started reappearing in random spots. Lasso once again started launching baseballs at Mr. 4 but now instead of going towards both Usopp and Chopper. His target was strictly Usopp.

Usopp pulled out a much more powerful Midori Boshi. So he ran over to a hole and launched it into the ground then turned tail and ran. "Midori Boshi: Dokuro Bakuhatsu So." When it hit the bottom there was a short delay before it exploded once again launching Mr. 4 out of the system of tunnels. Whether or not he was still conscious was unknown. But Usopp could see him hanging in midair. He shot one more Midori Boshi. "Midori Boshi: Impact Wolf." He said as he watched the boshi fly through the air turn into a Wolf and send Mr. 4 into the ground. By this point Chopper had beaten Miss Merry Christmas. While it wasn't intended, Lasso got caught in the explosion and fell unconscious.

"Looks like we beat both of our opponents." Usopp said.

"Looks that way." Chopper said

"You still have to use a Rumble Ball?"

"Yeah, I still have a lot of work to do on them."

"You have plenty of time. Anyway, let's go look for Sanji."

"Alright, but why Sanji?"

"Do you want to go find Zoro? Let's let Nami worry about him wandering off."

"Good idea. Sanji it is."

Around the same time with Sanji and Eyelashes: South Block

"I don't recognize you. You must be the Mr. Prince guy Zero-chan was talking about."

"Yeah, I guess I go by that name as well. But my name is Sanji, first rate chef of the Straw Hats." Sanji said as he took off his sunglasses.

"Very well, Mr. Chef. No one has been able to beat my Okama Kenpo. I can't imagine you will fair very well."

"Oh, I think I will do fine." Sanji said

Mr. 2 and Sanji ran at each other. Sanji went to kick Mr. 2 but he blocked it with his own leg.

"It seems you fight using your legs as well. Yeah, a chef can't risk damaging his hands."

And so they got back to fighting. They exchanged kick after kick. Neither gaining any sort of advantage over the other. But when this next kick collided both of them were sent backwards into the walls of surrounding buildings. They got up out of the rubble and walked to the middle of the street to continue their fight.

"How can your kicks stand up to my Okama Kenpo? I've trained too hard to be beaten by you."

"I've trained harder. Now get out of my way, I don't have time to mess with you."

"If you believe you've trained harder, show me what you can do."

"Dozo Okamai Kunckle." Mr. 2 said as he tried to punch Sanji. He was able to avoid the attack. But it left him in a bad position to fight back. "Urabure Swan Butokai." Mr. 2 said as he began to punch and kick Sanji. All of a sudden Sanji could see all of the attacks before they happened.

'Who would have thought I would get my Haki working against Mr. 2?' Sanji thought. He was able to avoid all of Mr. 2's punches and Sanji blocked all of Mr. 2's kicks with his own. Sanji was able to counter with a few of his own attacks.

"Collier, Epaule, Cotelette, Selle, Poitrine, Gigot." Sanji was able to make contact on a few, but others were blocked.

At the same time Mr. 2 said "Hakucho (Swan) Arabesque." And Sanji said "Mutton Shot." Both attacks were powerful and once again sent their users into another wall further on down the street.

'I have all of these memories and another level of power I just can't use. My body isn't strong enough to keep up yet. I guess I'm going to be doing a lot of running on the Merry.'

"Not even my Hakucho Arabesque could stop that stupid cook."

Both Sanji and Mr. 2 once again got up and moved to face each other. "That's it! From now on, I'm being serious." Mr. 2 said "Do you know what is truly terrifying thing about the Mane Mane no mi? The most serious thing about it is my ability to memorize. I can create…any…kind…?" Mr. 2 stopped talking about what his fruit could do when he saw Sanji spinning. "What are you doing? Why are you spinning?"Sanji continued to spin on both feet going faster and faster until he stopped rather abruptly. Mr. 2 looked down at Sanji's feet to notice something was strange they were glowing a combination of red, orange and yellow.

"WHAT? Are your feet on fire?" Mr. 2 said surprised.

"They are. I call this Diable Jambe."

"Well that changes things. I was going to do something else but that actually looks dangerous." Mr. 2 took the swans off his shoulders and put them on his feet. "Exploding Swan." Mr. 2 said as he kicked at Sanji. However Sanji was able to get out of the way kick before the swan neck straightened out and pierced the wall behind where Sanji had been. It left a perfect hole in the wall with no cracks surrounding it.

Sanji had managed to put some distance between himself and Mr. 2. Sanji started running towards Mr. 2. Each step he took scorched the ground leaving footprints behind. Mr. 2 tried to kick Sanji but he simply evaded it. The extra range granted to Mr. 2 from the swans was a gift but it was also a drawback. It took longer for him to get ready for his next attack. Sanji ran around to Mr. 2's right side and kicked him in the lower back and launched him into the air. Sanji proceeded to jump into the air.

'Drastic times.' Mr. 2 said as he touched his face with his right hand. He some how managed to pick the right face to get Sanji to flinch. It was pretty obvious to Mr. 2 that he had chosen correct as Sanji had hearts in where his eyes should be. Sanji was able to shake off his love for Nami as he remembered rather fast that it was Mr. 2.

"Hey, how dare you harm Nami-san's beautiful face." Sanji said. "She doesn't have any marks on her left cheek." And so Mr. 2 foolishly touched his left cheek to search for the aforementioned blemish. None could be found. Sanji took advantage of his confusion and used one more attack. "Flanchet Strike" Sanji said as he kicked Mr. 2 in the stomach propelling him down into the ground leaving a Mr. 2 sized crater. In addition to the crater there was a scorch mark where Sanji's foot contacted. Mr. 2 did not get back up after that kick. Sanji's feet cooled back down and the fire dissipated. As that was happening he took his pack of cigarettes out of his jacket and lit one taking in a deep breath in the process.

"I lost."

"Of course you did."

"I'm surprised you made me go all out. I had a bag of other tricks to play but could not."

"That last bit before, when you used my friends face was dirty."

"But that is my power after all." Mr. 2 said

"That's true. Hey, just a warning."

"What's that?"

"This place is going to be crawling with the Marines in the next few hours."

"I figured they wouldn't be too far behind. But for now I am just going to rest here. That is if my life isn't ended by Baroque Works first."

"Your organization will be no more. They will be more concerned about their own asses. They won't have time to worry about you."

Sanji just turned around and walked away. As he was walking he could hear Mr. 2 say to himself "They can't be so bad."

"Guess I have a lot more work to do. I should probably go find Usopp and Chopper." Sanji said 'Hope they didn't beat their opponents up too bad.' He thought as he walked away from the semiconscious okama.

Around the same time with Zoro and Nami

"We should go after the girl first." Miss Doublefinger said

"Agreed." Mr. 1 said

"Why would you want to fight me when Zoro here will give you a real challenge?" Nami asked

"For that reason exactly. With you out of the picture we can fight him." Miss Doublefinger said

"You know, you're not giving me enough credit." Nami said

"So you think you will be an actual challenge?" Miss Doublefinger said

"For you, of course. Not so much for him." Nami said pointing to Mr. 1.

"You are so confident in your abilities; I see no harm in proving you wrong. Mr. 1 what do you say? Usual tactic out the window?"

"Fine by me. There is something strange about this swordsman. I'm curious to find out what it is. Go have your fun."

"Yeah, yeah." Miss Doublefinger said as she walked away towards Nami. "So?"

"So, aren't you going to show me these skills you are so proud of?"

"Of course, but what do you say we take this fight somewhere else? I don't exactly want to get caught up in their fight."

"You believe your swordsman friend to be a match for Mr. 1?"

"Lady, Zoro will kick his ass."

"That's funny. But very well, lead the way." Miss Doublefinger said

Nami and Miss Doublefinger walked off down and over a few blocks so they wouldn't be caught in Mr.1 and Zoro's fight.

"This should be far enough away." Nami said as she tore her skirt about two thirds of the way up her left leg so she can move around easier.

"Ready when you are." Miss Doublefinger said as her body started to change and more and more spikes appeared on her body.

"Well that's just freaky." Nami said

"Freaky, yet effective. Now hurry up I'm getting impatient."

"Alright." Nami said as she took two pieces of her Sorcery Clima-tact out of the holster. She started spinning them. "Heat Egg and Cool Egg."

"What the hell are you doing?" Miss Doublefinger asked

"Just having a little fun." Nami said.

"Are you not gonna take this seriously. I can kill you now if you would rather just play around."

"Oh, I don't like that idea." Nami said. "How about this?" Nami held one end of the blue poles in her hand and pointed it at Miss Doublefinger. "Gust sword." Nami said before a small bubble appeared at the end of the segment. It popped and the wind that was produced was so strong it sent Miss Doublefinger flying backwards down the street. She was more or less physically unfazed as she was eventually able to slow herself using her Toge Toge no mi but she was surprised by how powerful wind produced was.

As she started walking back towards Nami she said "That is actually rather interesting, to be able send me so far down the street. I won't allow that to happen again."

Miss Doublefinger turned her hands into spikes and started running at Nami. "Your little pipes can't stop these."

"No they can't. The only thing that could protect me your spikes would be swords, which I don't know how to use. My little pipes as you called them can do plenty of other things." Nami said as she put all three segments together. Nami started spinning the pole in her hands.

"Well I won't give you a chance." Miss Doublefinger said. She was just about to stab Nami, but she vanished and evaded the attack.

"That's fine." Nami said from somewhere.

"Where the hell did you go?" Miss Doublefinger said

Nami didn't say anything. She wasn't going to be foolish and let Miss Doublefinger follow her voice. She had enough to worry about. She had to be careful to make as little noise as possible. Soon enough being invisible had worn out its usefulness. She started spinning her pole again. This time it was to break the illusion. She quickly took it apart and rearranged the sections. This time when she started spinning the Bo-staff something weird happened. Ow mind you this wasn't weird for Nami as she had done this multiple times. It was weird for Miss Doublefinger as doppelgängers of Nami started to appear. By the time all was said and done Miss Doublefinger was surrounded by eight Nami's.

"Mirage Tempo: Fata Morgana." All of the Nami doppelgängers said in unison.

"First you become invisible, now you duplicate yourself! What are you? Some kind of witch?" Miss Doublefinger asked

"You have no idea how many times I've heard that." They all said in unison. "No, it's science."

Miss Doublefinger didn't say anything. She curled up into a ball and spikes started popping up all over her. Soon enough her body was covered long and sharp spikes. "Stinger Hedgehog." She said before she started rolling around on the ground. She quickly picked up momentum. Soon she was rolling over all of the place at random as she can't see. She managed to take out a few of the Nami duplicates by chance, but Nami made more.

Nami took her Bo-staff apart and this time she was going to use it to make it rain, albeit in a small area. "Weather Egg." They all said as a two weather eggs each popped out of their staffs. They all appeared to hatch but only two of them actually did. "Rain Tempo." The Nami's said as it started raining.

Miss Doublefinger started to slow down as she felt the rain falling. She soon came to a stop, all of the spikes started to shrink and she stood up. "I have to admit that feels nice, it's so hot and humid in this country. But that won't stop me from killing you."

"Oh, I know. But I had to get you to stop rolling around." Nami said.

"Why is that?"

"Weather Egg." Nami yelled as her duplicates vanished. Quite a few bubbles came out of the end of Nami's bo-staff. All of the bubbles popped. Exposed to the air they all started to grow and merge together into one massive cloud. "Hatch" Nami yelled. The clouds started to rumble and the next minute there was a discharge. A massive bolt of lightning rained down and struck Miss Doublefinger. She fell to the ground unconscious. The lightning itself may not have been enough to knock her out. But adding the water to the equation did the trick.

Around the time Nami walked away from Miss Doublefinger relatively unscathed but with various cuts and bruises.

Zoro's fight with Mr. 1

"So what do you do?" Zoro asked "Most of the people we have fought so far have had devil fruits, you must have one as well."

"You would be correct. I ate the Supa Supa no mi, making me a blade human."

"That's convenient, turning any part of your body into a weapon."

"It's handy in my line of work."

"Working for Crocodile?"

"Assassination" Mr. 1 said. "You must have been the one to cut down the bounty hunters in Whiskey Peak."

"Yeah, that was me. You know I sort of remember a guy with a moniker similar to yours looking to recruit me back when I was still in the East Blue." Zoro said. "But enough talk of the past. I don't have time to play with you."

"You think this fight will be easy for you?" Mr. 1 asked

Zoro didn't say anything. He just shrugged. "Guess only time will tell."

"Very well" Mr. 1 said before the back of his arms turned into blades. Mr. 1 charged at Zoro with his arms crossed.

Zoro drew his swords and blocked Mr.1's attack. He would move away just long enough to change a different part of his body into a blade and attack again. But Zoro was also rather fast and was also able to dodge or counter whatever Mr. 1 could throw at him.

'We are about equal in terms of strength. But I should be able to cut him with little effort. Whether or not my Haki works is up in the air.' Zoro thought.

Mr. 1 went to kick Zoro but he was able to duck beneath his leg. He stood back up to counter. "Tora Gari." Zoro said as he swung his swords forward to attack Mr. 1. But it didn't cut him.

"Was that supposed to have hurt me?"

"No." Zoro said before the two of them went back to their battle where pretty much the only sound that could be heard was the clash of steel.

"What are you going to do? If you can't cut steel you won't be able to beat me."

Zoro said nothing but went to attack Mr. 1. He caught both blades in his hands. Zoro backed off before the tried something else. He put two swords away and got into a stance. He spread his legs far enough apart to get a sturdy base. He held Wado Ichimonji in his left hand above his head and grabbed his left forearm with his right hand. "Sanjuroku Pound Ho" Zoro brought his arm down and let his attack fly.

The attack hit Mr. 1 and he started to bleed. For a little bit Mr. 1 continued to fight. "I'm impressed. No one can say that they've ever been able hurt me before. Then again no one has lived once they became my target."

'Guess it's not quite up to par just yet.' Zoro thought before they went back to their fight. 'I want to try my Haki out on this guy but I am going to have to train my mind and my body more. Guess I will have to practice with Luffy.'

Zoro pulled all of his swords out of their sheaths and got into a familiar stance. The swords were all facing blade down and to his right. "Tatsumaki." Zoro said before he spun his body and a smallish razor sharp gust of wind was sent spinning right towards Mr. 1. He was unable to dodge it and got caught in the updraft. While not as powerful as it would become in a few years, it was a good start as it got the job done. Mr. 1 did not get up after that attack.

Zoro walked over to him. "Looks like I lost." Mr. 1 said. "Being able to cut steel is something to be proud of."

"It was essential in order for me to grow stronger."

'I bet everyone is doing better this time around.' Zoro thought. "They should all be finishing up their fights soon." Zoro said before he started walking around aimlessly. 'My haki really still needs quite a bit of work to get it to a respectable level.'

With all of their fights over the Straw Hats all head for the same place. As the straw hats were fighting the battle spread through the city. More and more of the people caught in this fight were making their way further into the city. The clock tower just happens to be the place Crocodile wants as many rebels and soldiers to gather within the 5 km blast zone.

Now we are going to rewind the clock and bring you up to speed with what Vivi has been up to while the Straw Hats fight the Baroque Works officer agents.

Vivi and Carue had just made their way up the south-west staircase. They started heading for the palace. The sound of battle could be heard off in the distance. The battleground was expanding every minute, sooner or later large portions of the city would be consumed in the chaos. Vivi would have to work quick and do something drastic if she was going to halt the fighting long enough to get the attention of all of the people fighting, regardless of the side they were on.

"We have to get to the palace fast Carue. So let's try to avoid as much of the fighting as possible."

"Quack" Carue said. He was determined to get there as fast as possible. So Carue took off running. They knew this city as well as anyone else and they were able to take advantage of that. Eventually after making it through much of the city they came across a barricade with over a dozen royal guards standing there restricting access to part of the city.

"Hey, look at that." One guard said

"Isn't that Carue?" Another guard asked

"It is, but who is riding on his back?" A third guard asked

As they were talking Vivi and Carue continued on and made it to the makeshift barricade. "Who are you? State your business!" The second guard asked. Carue and Vivi stopped just short of knocking over one of the guards.

Vivi took off her hood and revealed her face to the guards.

"Princess Vivi." They all said.

"I need to get to the Palace and talk to Chaka." Vivi said

"Of course." They all said as they let Vivi past the barricade.

With the guards out of the way Vivi continued on to the Palace. "I hope Luffy-san and the others are all right." Vivi said. "We've been lucky so far Carue but we've got to hurry."

"Quack" Carue said as he ran through the streets avoid fighting wherever possible. Sometime later Princess Vivi and Carue make it to the Palace. As she was making her way through the courtyard looking for Chaka there were whispers. Whispers of "Princess Vivi is back; Where was she all this time; Why come back now of all times; You're right the Princess is back." Even during the difficult situation they were smack in the middle of there was a slight morale boost. They might never know why the princess up and disappeared two years but she was back and that was one less thing they had to worry about.

"Princess Vivi." Chaka yelled "You're all right." He said

"Yes, I'm fine. I have an idea on how to at halt the fighting but I need your help."

"What can I do Princess?"

"We have to destroy the Palace!"

Chaka heard what Vivi said but he couldn't believe that those words came out of their Princesses mouth.

"I'm sorry, princess I can't do it. I won't destroy the palace."

"I understand, but we must do something to draw Crocodile out." Vivi whispered to Chaka. She turned back to face the guards and started talking. "The palace is not important. The people make up this country, not this building. The people down their fighting are worth it. We can always rebuild, it's only a building no matter how old."

"Only a building!" One guard yelled

"This palace has been the home of the Royal family for over 4000 years."

"Please abandon such a foolish idea."

"Believe me this was a difficult decision. I didn't want to have to resort to something so drastic. But I have to think about the larger picture. What about all the people down there fighting for what they believe in. No matter how much history this palace has, the country and the people will always have more. Without the people there is no country. We have to do something for the good of the country and the people. Once this is over, regardless of the outcome we will have to rebuild. We can rebuild things but we can only do so much to repair the injuries to the people that this senseless violence has caused."

Chaka got down and kneeled before Princess Vivi. "We shall do as you say." He stayed like that for a moment before he got up. "You heard the princess." Chaka said. Soon enough all the guards started moving about and gathering whatever gunpowder they had. Soon it was just Vivi and Chaka standing there. They over saw all of the work that was being done all over.

"So, this is to draw Crocodile out?" Chaka asked

"It is. My friends told me that Crocodile wants to take over the country." Vivi said

"He's looking to usurp the throne and move into the palace?"

"That is my understanding. I guess we will have to wait and see. I imagine he won't stay hidden for too long."

"I wonder what his highness would say if he could see what was going on."

"He would tell you to not be so hard on yourself. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to make all of these decisions. It couldn't have been easy on anyone." Vivi said "You've done a commendable job over the past two years without Igaram. I'm also sorry for leaving all of a sudden."

"You have changed so much for the better in the past two years. I would like to meet these pirate friends of yours and learn what kind of people they are. I'm sure once this is all over we will be able to enjoy a nice banquet."

"I think you might be right." Vivi said

"Commander Chaka." A guard said

"What is it?"

"He's in the palace!"

"My, my how troublesome. Your actions are quite unbecoming of a princess, Miss Wednesday. Once this is all over this palace will be my home. Kuhahaha! There's no better place to look down on the filthy rabble!"

Guards appeared from inside the castle and went to attack Miss All Sunday who had shown up just after Crocodile. She easily over powered them and knocked them out.

"Miss All Sunday." Crocodile said "Make sure that none of the guards make their way in here."

"Of course" Robin said as she walked closer to the stairs leading to a large gate "Dieciséis Fleur!" And sixteen arms appeared on the door separating the courtyard and the massive staircase leading up to the palace.

"What, why are there hands coming out of the gate?" Various guards said before they were all pushed down the stairs.

"Quite the commotion on the other side of the door!" Robin said

While that was going on Cobra was hung up on the wall. He has large spikes in his arms with blood running down both his arms.

"Vivi" Cobra said "Forgive me for squandering the chance to save this kingdom, that you risked your life to get…"

"Let go of his highness, Crocodile." Chaka said

"It's just as the king himself so pathetically stated. But Miss Wednesday…It wasn't just your life you risked was it? You should thank those pirate friends of yours for helping you come this far"

"Where is Luffy?"

"You mean Straw Hat?" Crocodile said "I left him in the desert to think about all of this. I probably should have killed him now that I think about it." Crocodile said. "I still might get that chance, he seems like he would be foolish enough to come here."

"No let's get down to business. Just to be perfectly clear, I have no intention of sparing you and your father. It's only natural that when a kingdom falls the royal family should perish with it. But there is one last thing I need to ask you Cobra." Crocodile said walking over to Cobra. "Where is Pluton?"

'What is Pluton?' Vivi thought to herself

'If only Crocodile knew that the Government has been looking for it as well.' Robin thought

"How do you know that name?" Cobra asked

"It's said that a single blast from Pluton can destroy and entire island without leaving a trace. The ancient world's most fearsome weapon which carries the name of a god! It should be lying somewhere within this Kingdom." Crocodile said. "That has been my real objective from the beginning. Imagine what I could do with a weapon like that. I could establish the world's leading military power here in this land!"

"Does something like that really exist in this kingdom?" Vivi asked

"It's a secret that has been passed down from King to his successor for generations." Chaka said

"Once I become king of this land, It'll be easy to bring all the pirates in nearby regions under my control! With such influence I will have enough power to surpass even the World Government's authority itself! At last I will have my utopia!"

"Are you really foolish enough to believe the World Government would just let that happen?" Cobra asked

"Oh, of course not. That's precisely why I need something like Pluton in order to tip the scales in my favor."

"I have no idea where you managed to learn that name, but I'll have you know that I have no clue as to its whereabouts. Nor I am even sure if such a thing really exists in this kingdom."

"I expected as much. Even I realize just how dubious the existence of such an incredible weapon is. In any case, by 4:30 in just about 30 minutes from now the bulk of the royalist forces that are gathered around the city square will be engulfed in a massive explosion."

"You must be out of your mind."

"Maybe, but I do know that the scenery viewable from here will undergo quite a renovation from the explosion."

"But if you do that!" Vivi said

"Yes, the rebellion you have been working so hard to stop with nonviolence will come to an end in just a matter of moments."

"How can you do such a thing? Just what have my people ever done to you?"

"Princess!" Chaka said as he grabbed Vivi from running at Crocodile.

"What an eyesore." Crocodile said "Alright then, Mr. Cobra. Instead of that, tell me where is the Poneglyph?"

"Why would you want to know where that is?" Vivi asked "It's just an old stone, no one can read it." Vivi said

"If I tell you where it is, will you…" Cobra said "No, I will show you where it is myself."

"Well the wise king Cobra lives up to his reputation. You understood the predicament you are in." Crocodile said

"Princess, I can no longer hold back my fury!" Chaka said as he drew his sword from his scabbard.

From the door Robin had been protecting came a voice "Commander Chaka! Please wait!" The voice said as four large men forced their way through the door and into the courtyard.

"Who the hell is it now?" Crocodile asked

"The Kicking Claw Force!" Vivi said

In the square the royal guards began cheering.

"That's the elite guard for you!" They said

"Save the princess and the king." Other guards said

Back up in the courtyard

"Your highness…To protect you with our very lives is our highest duty. I'm afraid we cannot just let this man be."

"If our enemy is to be one of the Shichibukai, we shall not show cowardice. We four, shall put an end to our kingdom's threat."

"Well, aren't you popular. Scurry off back home." Crocodile said

"That's not possible, there is a reason we cannot withdraw!"

"A reason…?"

"If you really are the mastermind behind this whole rebellion…" One of the Claw Force said as he flexed his muscles and staggered horizontal bruises covered their arms.

"Those marks! Don't tell me you…?" Chaka said as he looked on in disbelief

"Shall I take care of them?" Robin asked

"No, they're nothing but flies to me." Crocodile said

The claw force charged in ready to attack Crocodile.

"Chaka!" Vivi said "What happened to them? Something seems off!"

"They drank the hero water. It gives them incredible strength for but a few minutes. Once that time is up they will die. There is nothing we can do to save them." Chaka said

"NOOO!" Vivi yelled

"So you fools really did it, you threw away your lives just to challenge me!"

They actually did hit Crocodile with their attack but he had already become intangible and avoided any damage. The turned into sand and made his way to the roof of the palace. The four members of the Claw Force slowly all fell to the ground

"How dare you." Chaka yelled. "At least let them die fighting." He used his Inu Inu no mi model Jackal to transform into his hybrid human Jackal form before he went to attack Crocodile.

"Don't be foolish Chaka." Cobra said. But was too late, Chaka wouldn't listen and rushed in trying to put an end to Crocodile.

The attack met its mark however it didn't hurt Crocodile as intended. He simply allowed the attack to hit him. Using his logia devil fruit he was effortlessly able to pull himself back together. "So you're the type to die for others too." Crocodile said before he easily dealt with Chaka.

"Chaka" Vivi yelled

"To be weak is a sin." Crocodile said

"What's going on here Vivi?" Koza asked. His looked like he was tired and his shirt partially stained red.

"Did you come here through the secret path you used as a child." Cobra asked

"I must be seeing things. I came here with the intention of persuading the royal forces, but…" Koza looked around at everything that had happened. He quickly surmised what was going on.

"The first thing I see is the king… about to be murdered at the hands of this Country's Hero."

"Well isn't this an interesting turn of events." Crocodile said "Who would have thought that the leaders of both sides would all come here and meet each other right in the midst of the rebellion's climax."

Koza just looked up in disbelief and confusion.

"You seem confused but it's quite simple. Just imagine the worst case scenario. I'm sure you will come up with something close to the right answer." Robin said

"Who stole this country's rain?" Koza asked

"It was me Koza. All the rebels think it was the king. But my organization has been orchestrating all of these events for the past two years. It would have been better if you died never finding out the truth."

"Shut up." Cobra said "Koza you have to go out here and save as many as you can from this needless bloodshed."

"In less than half an hour the palace square will be blown to smithereens!" Chaka said

"Huh, so you're still alive." Crocodile said

"Hurry." Chaka said

Koza started running but Vivi stopped him.

"Get off me Vivi. The square is going to become a battlefield soon. If it's really going to be blown up then, I"

"I won't let it become a battlefield. But you can't go rushing down there. All you will be doing is adding to the chaos if you go down there and tell the soldiers that the square will be blown up. Everyone will be too panicked to listen! You won't stop the war or save anyone that way!"

"Am I wrong?" Vivi asked

"That's very smart of you princess!" Crocodile said

"The whole fabricated rebellion must be stopped. There is only one course of action that we can take. And it's something only you can do." Vivi said to Koza as she got off of him.

Meanwhile the rebellion was getting ever closer to the square.

Crocodile turned into sand and went to attack Vivi. "Did you think I would stand around and let you do that?"

Chaka managed to get up off the roof and block Crocodile's gold hook.

"I am this country's guardian deity… the jackal!" Chaka said "As long as I am breathing I will use it to fight."

"That is stupid." Crocodile said

"I still have enough strength to hold him off for a little while. Now go and do what you must" Chaka said

Vivi and Koza nodded and then they took off. Vivi yelled down to the Royal army from the castle. "Take out the white flags to surrender."

The soldiers were hesitant. But then Koza appeared and he too yelled down to the royal army but this time from the top of the stairs just beyond the door separating the square from the courtyard.

"Listen to me! We wish neither victory nor to fight! All we want is to stop this war!" Koza said "I will tell the rebels that this whole fight is pointless!"

The rebels had made it to the square but what they saw when they got there was a surprise.

"White flags!?" The rebels were confused but even more so when they saw that Koza was among them and he too was waiving a white flag.

"The battle is over! Rebels! Lay down your arms and quell your rage. The royal army no longer has any intention to fight! This war is finally…"

Koza didn't get to finish his sentence before he was shot in the back. And just like that the battle started back up again. Around the same time a massive sandstorm started.

Outside the Palace, all of the Straw Hats were gathering.

"Looks like your fight went well." Nami said

"Yeah, he wasn't much of a challenge. I have plenty of room for improvement." Zoro said

"How the hell did the Marimo get here before me?" Sanji asked

"I found him and he followed me. I almost had to drag his sorry ass." Nami said

"Looks like we are last Chopper!" Usopp said

"Oh well." Chopper said "How do you think Luffy is doing?"

"The idiot is probably fine." Nami said "We can only afford to wait here for a few minutes."

Back up in the courtyard.

"Run Vivi! Get away from that man!" Cobra said

"As long as I can stop that explosion 15 minutes from now I will still be able to save lives."

"I can stop the rebellion if I do this… I can stop it if I do that…" Crocodile said "Open your eyes Princess… Your unbearable idealism is sickening!"

If Crocodile bothered to turn his head to the left he would have seen that there was something off in the distance and it was approaching rather fast.

"CROCODILE" yelled Luffy at the top of his lungs.

Crocodile had been listening to Vivi's speech about how she will save the country. He must not have heard Luffy yelling.

"Are you ready Luffy?" Pell asked

"Of course!" Luffy said as he jumped off of Pell and landed in the courtyard with a thud. The impact caused the ground to shake a bit. But as soon as Luffy was on the ground he disappeared. Within the next few second Luffy was right next to Crocodile and he had already landed a fist in Crocodiles's gut. The punch caused Crocodile to release his grasp on Vivi. He nearly doubled over from the punch.

"You alright Vivi?" Luffy asked

"I'm okay." Vivi said "The palace square will be blown up any moment now. Everyone has been done in and my voice won't reach anybody." Luffy bonked her on the head as she was getting too upset.

"Don't worry Vivi. Your voice reached us just fine!" Luffy said as Vivi was rubbing the tears from her eyes. "Now hurry, Pell is waiting for you. Our friends are at the bottom of those stairs, they are waiting for you." Luffy said before she took off. Pell was waiting on top of the wall overlooking the square turned battlefield.

"Are you ready Pell?" Vivi asked

"Of course Princess" Pell said "Luffy said his friends are at the base of these stairs."

Pell dove off the side with Vivi in tow and they soared down to the rest of the Straw Hats below. Within a minute Pell and Vivi were safely on the ground and they had found the remaining Straw Hats.

"Hey guys, look. It's Vivi." Nami said

"Everyone, I'm so glad you're all ok." Vivi said

"More or less." Zoro said "So tell us, what is going on?"

"In less than 12 minutes there will be an explosion that will level whole area." Vivi said "It's supposed to have a 5 km blast radius."

"Something with that much destructive power has to be huge." Usopp said "At that size it wouldn't be very accurate either."

"So you think it's already here?" Vivi asked

"I would listen to Usopp, he is usually right when it comes to stuff like this." Sanji said "Is there any place you can think of that would be large enough to hide something so huge?"

"Vivi-sama, what about where you and Koza used to play as children?"

"The clock tower?"

"If it's there, Crocodile wouldn't leave it unguarded." Zoro said. But before they could get anywhere Billions appeared and prevented their escape for the time being. Little did they know they were already outmatched.

"Look it's the princess. I wonder how I'll be promoted once I kill you." One Billion said

Zoro and Sanji didn't even bother talking about how long it would take. They had already walked over and began beating the shit out of all of the billions. In a matter of seconds the billions had been defeated and the group could proceed.

"That was quite impressive." Pell said "It's quite amazing you were able to find such formidable allies Vivi-sama."

"Let's go. We don't have time to waste." Sanji said

Back in the courtyard

"What the hell are you doing Straw Hat? I let you live. I guess you really are as stupid as the other rookies on this sea." Crocodile said after he stood back up after Luffy punched him. It was then that he noticed Luffy had a barrel of water on his back.

"Maybe I am. But that really doesn't matter now, does it?"

"You were foolish enough to follow me. I guess I will have to make an example out of you."

"You are gonna have to catch me." Luffy said before he used soru to vanish into thin air.

"You really are fast. But that doesn't matter, even with the water on your back."

Luffy stopped and reappeared close to Crocodile "You're so confident in your abilities." Luffy said "You haven't had to worry about someone making it here who is strong enough to take you head on."

"Of course I am. This is the Grand Line. Even just this far in, there are pirates who are already of another level than those who have just come down Reverse Mountain."

"So it would look bad on you if I kicked your ass?" Luffy asked

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Even if you are fast the only reason you have been able to hit me is because of that water on your back."

"I guess you will just have to wait and see." Luffy said

**Back to the Future Straw Hats**

"So you had us all come down here because this ghost remembers some of his past." Frankly said

"Yes, that is correct." The ghost said

"So are you going to tell us?" Sanji asked

"Yes, I was just about to. So as I said some time ago. I don't remember my name but I do remember I lived around 800 to 900 years ago."

"So you lived during the void century?" Robin asked

"That is what you people call that part of history, but that is correct. I lived during the time the world forgot."

"So, were you a part of one of the twenty ruling families that became the world government?"

"No, I was a part of one of the families that took over after our ruling family moved to what would become Mariejoa."

"We only know the names of two of the twenty ruling families. Well actually 19 as the Nefertari's decided to stay in Alabasta." Robin said

"Who would they be?"

"Not counting the Nefertari's, the only other family we know of is the Donquixote family."

"Neither of those names sound familiar, I do know my family was from the New World."

"That really doesn't help. I can only guess from which islands the families came from. I'm just thinking it would make sense for ten ruling families to come from each side of the red line." Robin said

"Really, that does sound like it would make sense. We will assume that is true. I don't know which island I came from. I was born on a ship and spent most of my life on that ship. My father's brother was the king of our country. My family and I spent most of our time going from island to island dealing with diplomatic issues."

"Your family took care of the issues the king didn't want to take care of?" Sanji asked

"I don't know. He either didn't want to or couldn't, but that does sound right. My father would have been a better King. He was unlucky to have been born second."

"Regardless of who would have been better, I enjoyed my life. I got to see the world. I was a curious child. My parents and the sailors on the ship always took the time to answers any and all of my questions. Well there were some topics that were off limits but I could never understand why. No matter how many times I asked they would always change the subject and begin talking about something else."

"Do you remember what it was your family didn't like talking about?" Brook asked

"As best as I can recall they didn't particularly care for creatures of intelligence equivalent to our own but didn't share our body...structure. I think that's the word I was looking for."

"Do you mean the people of the long leg tribe, the long arm tribe, snake necks, dwarves, giants, fishmen or minkmen?"

"Wow, I forgot people with all sorts of different traits existed. I believe it was the fishmen my family didn't really care for. I don't think we ever saw any minkmen. Who are they?"

"Think Fishman but non aquatic." Jinbe said

"So they were some sort of animal human hybrid?" The ghost said

"They are land based people who are waking, taking, intelligent creatures that look like the animals you would see on the various islands." Chopper said

"Are you one of them? A minkman as you called them?"

"No, I'm actually a reindeer who ate the Hito Hito no mi."

"Ah, so you are a devil fruit user."

"Hold on a second, we got off track. We were taking about why your family didn't like the fishmen." Sanji said

"To be completely honest, they never told me exactly why. They just didn't. But I was one of the few people on the boat who didn't have any problems with those wonderful people. When we traveled to and from the New World we would stop at Fishman Island. The first time we stopped there I was met with hostility. But many of the people were nice and very welcoming. I won them over rather quickly and was on such good terms with the people there. So whenever we stopped there I would be nominated to get off the boat and do business with them. I became the ambassador of sorts between the two groups. I even got to meet their ruling family at the time."

"That is quite impressive. However I am unfamiliar with fishman, human relations back then." Jinbe said

"That is quite alright. What I do recall was that the ruling family was very hospitable and that negotiations generally went well. There were disagreements but that was to be expected."

"Yeah, no one can get along with everyone all the time. People are bound to have differing opinions on how matters should be handled." Nami said

"Yes and we handled the matters we disagreed on to the best of our ability. In the end we generally went with the best option with the lowest impact on the people."

"So aside from the politics which is boring, how many times did you visit Fishman island?"

"I would say over a dozen over the course of several decades."

"That is actually quite impressive for the time. Actually that even sounds impressive for today." Nami said

"Truth be told, we actually did end up stopping their pretty much every time we crossed beneath the red line."

"So you would spend years at a time one side of the red line or the other."

"That sounds right. But the last time we were traveling away from the island we got into trouble."

"That phrase "the last time we" is never a good sign." Brook said

"You are correct skeleton, it was not good. I don't recall what exactly happened to our ship. But I do remember everyone yelling and panicking. I was able to use the bubble coral I had received as a gift to save myself. Sometime later I passed out but was somehow able to make it to Fishman Island. I spent the next decade or so on the island. I moved around and for a while I even stayed with the royal family before I decided to go back to the surface. One of the last things I remember before I left for the surface was that I was discussing something with the king. He told me that his daughter had inherited a gift. She was able to communicate with the massive sea kings that swam in those waters. I believe there was a name that was passed down to her when she awakened that ability. I don't remember what it was thought."

"Poseidon" Jinbe said.

"That does sound right." The ghost said. Jinbe was speechless for a time. Robin was shocked to say the very least at this particular development. She had spoken with the king about this after they beat Hody and the New Fishman pirates.

When Jinbe was finally able to speak again he said. "I can't believe it. It must be you."

"You might be Joyboy. You might be the one who broke their promise to the mermaid princess 800 years ago." Robin said

"I don't know. I have felt like I might have let a lot of people down by not keeping a promise."

"Let's say that for arguments sake you are Joyboy. How did you end up in a magic lamp?"

"I do not know. I'm sorry. After so much time my memories have become fuzzy. If I really am from that long ago it wouldn't be unreasonable to have had my memories blur together."

"You also may have gone crazy from loneliness." Brook said "I spent 50 years alone. Solitude will do that to you."

"Were you aware of how long you were in that lamp?" Usopp asked

"No. For a very long time I was trapped in there. But eventually I learned magic or maybe I am using a devil fruit. I don't really know. But I became aware I could look out into the world and see what was going on."

"That's the same power you used to spy on us." Nami said

"Didn't I already apologize for that?"

"We got off topic again." Jinbei said "King Neptune doesn't know the details but he has told me that eventually somebody would come and carry out the promise in Joyboy's place."

"Aside from letting a lot of people down I don't remember any details."

"Does the name Noah mean anything to you?"

"Was Noah a person?"

"No, Noah is a massive ship that recently had some damage done to it and it is undergoing repairs."

"I don't know? Maybe I was supposed to help the Fishmen find an island to call home on the surface and Noah would help get them there?"

"Why would they need a ship to relocate? They can breathe underwater!"

"That's enough for now. I am tired. Let me think about it. Come back down here tomorrow and we can talk more. Until then." The spirit disappeared into the lamp.

"Well it looks like we are done here for now." Sanji said

"Yeah, I guess we are." Jinbe said

"Wouldn't it be amazing to be able to figure out what happened all that time ago?" Robin said

"Yes, it would be." Jinbe said

"I'm hungry let's go eat." Luffy said

"You idiot, you always think with your stomach." Nami said

"Yeah, but isn't that part of the reason why you love me?" Luffy asked

"No, not particularly." Nami said before she walked off.

The Straw Hats all started to follow Nami out of the cave, All except for Sanji.

"Hey Luffy, could you hold up for a second?"

"Sure what's up?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you're serious about Nami."

"Of course I am Sanji. Going through all of this, being stuck in that limbo made me realize how good I had it and what an amazing woman Nami is."

"Good, just make sure you take good care of her. She deserves only the best."

"Sanji I would never dream of doing anything to hurt her."

"Good. Now let's go eat. You must be starving. How long did you go without eating?"

"Oh, you know that's a good question."

"How long was I gone?"

"Long enough captain. You were gone long enough." Sanji just walked away without giving him a definitive answer. He realized he would be cooking for his bottomless pit of a captain forever if he told him how long he had actually been gone for. The two of them walked through the cave, closing the doors behind them and going back up to the Thousand Sunny.

* * *

Hi guys, Sorry it has been so long since i've posted a chapter. Hopefully you guys enjoy this one. I won't make any promises as to when the conclusion to Alabasta will be out. But I hope to have it out around this time next month, hopefully it will be sooner if I can get some free time to write. But school has been taking up alot of my free time.

dmr14wizkid: I hope that you like the chapter.

Shadowdragondanny: Sorry for the wait.

midnightscar17: I hope you think this chapter was good. I am still holding back everyones haki. More of a transition kind of thing, but also to keep the marines off of their tails. I would also like to see that happen.

Tonlor: I also liked Crocodile. I hope to see him again in the New World.

Johnny Spectre: That was without haki

Darkangel665: Don't worry. This is not going to be a harem story. I will keep the sexy time stories to Luffy and Nami or Zoro and Robin. I might add a third person to either of the duos but not sure about any more.

gamelover41592: I don't want to keep everything the same.


	23. Alabasta Part 5, The Finale

**It's been way too long since I last updated this story. Life got in the way of me writing as much as I wanted to. Hopefully you enjoy this extended chapter. I created a poll to see what type of chapters you would like to see going forward. **

* * *

We pick up where we left off last time. Luffy was facing down against Crocodile for the second time in the courtyard of the Royal Palace. While that was going on the rest of the Straw Hats and Vivi were running through town. Thanks to a little thought and some knowledge of the future they would be able to determine where the best place to hide a massive explosive would be. They wouldn't allow it to go off. If they did the explosion would take out a 5km area.

"This barrel on my back will help me kick your ass." Luffy exclaimed as he doused his hands in water. "You know I don't even need this water to beat you."

"What the hell are you talking about you little brat? That is the only option you have."

"Yeah, you're right. But I wanted to see if you would let your guard down."

"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" Crocodile asked as he questioned whether Luffy had any brains in his head. "You are doing yourself no favors by just talking." He couldn't tell what Luffy was thinking, if anything at all. He couldn't believe someone as dense as Luffy could exist. But then again there have been plenty of people who tried and failed to challenge the Shichibukai. Crocodile spoke up shifting focus from Luffy to Robin. "Nico Robin, take Cobra and get him to show you where the Poneglyph is hidden."

"Of course." Robin said as she crossed her arms sprouting an arm on each side of Cobra. With a good yank, she pulled the spikes out of his arms. "Lead the way." She said as she gestured for the soon to be former king to walk in front of her. It wasn't long before they were out of sight and were making their way to the crypt of the Royal family.

While they were walking, Robin was silent and for a time so was Cobra. That was until he spoke up. He was still perplexed by the boy who had managed to hit Crocodile.

"Who was that boy?"

"That boy brought your daughter home." Robin responded while still trying to play the villain. Having some perspective in her life thanks to her older selves' memories was in fact a blessing as much as it was a curse. She could only assume that Luffy was already stronger than Crocodile. Only time would tell if events were going to play out as they had the first time. Would Crocodile stab her again or would Luffy be there to stop him?

As Robin and Cobra were walking towards the crypt they ran into a group of Marines lead by Tashigi.

"Get out of my way." Robin said as she stopped before the Marine troops

Tashigi had been made aware that the king of the country had been King-napped within the

past 24 hours or so. She couldn't believe her luck when she literally walked into the king and whom she suspected to be his abductor. "Absolutely not! I've been informed by the Royal Guards as to what has occurred in this country recently. Just who do you think you are holding hostage?" Tashigi questioned Robin. This Tashigi wasn't like the one in the future. She was still the busy body, much more of a nuisance than she would be later.

"I don't care. Get out of my way before I am forced to hurt you." Robin replied forcefully, if she was going to be honest with herself. She was having fun playing the second in command to a Shichibukai. But she wanted to be rid of this country for the time being. She missed her friends.

"I will not give into your demands!" Tashigi responded, standing her ground and drawing her sword.

"Marines, Stop! Pay no attention to me!" Cobra said, drawing the Marines attention back to himself. "At 4:30 PM the palace square will be blown up." Cobra yelled, once again putting the lives of the people before his own.

"What?" Tashigi was taken aback by that.

"Millions of citizens' lives are at stake!" Cobra stated. His voice determined with the decision that he had made.

Tashigi was faced with a major decision. Save the life of one person or the lives of millions. So instead of pondering over her options, she decided to do both. Tashigi clutched the hilt of her sword, and got ready to fight.

"Treinta Fleur!" Robin said followed by "Clutch"

"A Devil fruit user!" Tashigi looked back in shock and anger. Robin had taken out so many of her men so fast and so easily.

One of Tashigi's remaining men told her about the woman that was before them. As well as the fictitious account of what earned a little girl a bounty of 79 million berries.

"Sergeant take the troops to the palace square! Your mission is to stop the bombing." Before the lower ranking official could respond Tashigi yelled. "NOW!"

The Marines took off for the square leaving Tashigi to face Robin alone.

"Now let go of that man!" Tashigi demanded. Both hands on her swords, ready to fight. But Robin crossed her arms and the fight was over before Tashigi could do anything. With that little problem, out of the way Robin and Cobra continued to their destination.

Before Robin and Cobra walked into the Marines

"I really do have more important business to attend to. However, this time, I am not going to let you walk away." Crocodile smirked as he looked at the young pirate.

"You know, I picked up this trick a little while back but I haven't been able to get it to work consistently." Luffy grinned as he only coated one of his fists in Haki.

"Where the hell did you learn Haki?" Crocodile questioned as a little of the color left his face.

"Oh, is that what it's called?" Luffy said, he still couldn't lie well, in fact he was still terrible at it. But he had managed to learn to lie just well enough so that people wouldn't be able to immediately tell he was stretching the truth or hiding something. Luffy had since ditched the barrel someplace safe should he need it before he charged at Crocodile with his single fist coated in Haki. He attempted to hit Crocodile with a Gomu Gomu no Rocket. But just before he made contact he 'shut off' his haki and let the color go away. The punch harmlessly sailed through Crocodile.

"I should be grateful you didn't learn to master or even perfect that technique. It would spell trouble for me if you had." Crocodile stated as the color came back to his face. His arrogance also seemed to be making a comeback.

Luffy used Gear second on his legs. He yelled "Gomu Gomu no" before he propelled himself forward with soru and let both of his arms stretch out behind him. Crocodile knew the attack was coming but did nothing to defend against it figuring the little idiot was in over his head. At the last second Luffy used Busoshoku koka and turned his right fist black and shouted "Twin jet bazooka". One hand sailed clean through Crocodile while the other made contact.

"Dammit, that hurt you little punk." Crocodile shouted as he rubbed his left side. Let's see you avoid this. "Desert Spada." Crocodile called out his attack as he released a stream of sand that destroyed everything in its wake leaving a long, clean, deep gash in the ground.

Luffy avoided the attack relatively easily.

"I shouldn't really be surprised you avoided that. You're quite fast. But let's see what happens when I take away the ground beneath your feet. Ground Secco!" Crocodile said as he knelt and put his right hand on the ground. It only took but a few seconds before the grass and everything around Crocodile started to dry up and wither away. Before long the ground itself began to break apart and started to collapse.

'What to do?' Luffy thought to himself 'I can't let him dry me up again. That wasn't fun.'

"My right hand has no limit to what it can dry up. Everything will turn to sand." Statues fell down, the previously shattered ground continued to erode away. It didn't take long before the entire area turned to sand. "Ground Death!" Crocodile yelled as he sucked up any remaining moisture.

Luffy had launched himself up into the air to get away from the devastating effects of Crocodiles devil fruit. He landed on the railing beneath the center dome of the palace. Crocodile appeared on the same railing just a few feet from Luffy.

"If you want to kill me so bad why don't you try and catch me." Luffy stuck his tongue out at Crocodile and disappeared.

Crocodile was pissed off now. He was so angry his face turned bright red. "That little shit, thinks he can make a fool of me, does he?" Crocodile turned into sand and disappeared. He chased after Luffy along the roof tops of the buildings through Alubarna. Luffy stopped every so often just to antagonize the poor Croco-boy. This made him even angrier. Over the course of a minute or so they had covered quite a distance during their game of cat and mouse. Then Crocodile remembered he had to be somewhere, specifically anywhere away from the blast radius. At least that's what any sane person would think. However, that wasn't the case. He halted his progress and turned in a completely different direction than Luffy had been going.

It was just a moment later that Luffy no longer sensed Crocodile behind him anymore so he himself stopped on the closest rooftop. "Where the hell did he go?" Luffy asked himself. It took him a couple of seconds before he remembered where Robin had gone. It was the same place that Crocodile was going to go.

Around the time Luffy was making an ass of Crocodile, Robin and Cobra made it to the location above the Royal Crypt. Cobra told Robin about the door hidden in the ground. She used her powers to lift it open to reveal a set of stairs that lead down into the darkness beneath.

"Well isn't that convenient. No one would know what's beneath here if they didn't know about this hidden staircase." Robin said as she gestured for Cobra to follow her down the stairs.

"The poneglyph is deep underground at the back of the chamber. Most aren't even aware they exist." Cobra replied.

"You would be surprised at how many in the criminal underworld actually know about them, yet can do nothing with them."

"Is that why you are working with Crocodile? Can you read the Poneglyphs?"

"That is it indeed. He needs me to translate for him. It's why he can't kill me…" After walking down, the remainder of the flight of stairs they reached the bottom and the Royal Crypt. "It really is quite grand."

"The poneglyph you are looking for is behind the doors at the back of the room."

And through the doors they walked. Robin walked up to the poneglyph and instead of reading it she just admired it. To think a single clan, the Kozuki clan of Wano Kuni was responsible for creating such a masterpiece.

Back up on the surface the Straw Hats were making their way through the battlefield, only taking down those who got in their way. Along the way Zoro strayed from the path deciding it would be faster to take his own 'shortcut'.

"If your dumbass takes one more wrong turn we are going to have to tie a rope around your waist and pull you along." Sanji said having considered doing this on several occasions. Until he can at least use his haki to not get lost.

"Shut up, you blond bastard." Zoro yelled out agitated at the cooks' insults even if he was right.

"Can't you guys take this seriously? We are getting close." Nami yelled out

In the meantime, Crocodile, had made his way to the Royal Crypt.

"Damn that Straw Hat, making me waste precious seconds chasing him around!" Crocodile exclaimed annoyance and anger present in his voice. It was then that he noticed something out of the ordinary. "Well, isn't that original. A hidden staircase of all things." Crocodile smirked as he walked down the stairs and into the deepest part of the chamber where he found Robin looking at the poneglyph and Cobra sitting on the floor.

Meanwhile Luffy was running around. Even if he had trained his body to handle his gear attacks he had to maintain some stamina. He is only human after all, a monster to some but still only human. While he was running, he ran into Tashigi who had an unfortunate encounter with Robin.

"Mugiwara." Tashigi said. She was on the ground, beaten and bruised.

"Where did Crocodile go?" Luffy asked in between catching his breath.

Tashigi went to pick up her sword but couldn't find the resolve to get up and attack Luffy. So she simply pointed in the direction he was supposed to go. "That way" She said as she pointed to his right. So, that is the way Luffy went. Within another thirty seconds Luffy had made his way to the royal crypt and looked around. He too found the staircase and started running down, yelling "Crocodile" the whole way down.

Just a moment earlier, Crocodile walked through the doors to the chamber where the poneglyph was located. "So this is a poneglyph, Nico Robin?" Crocodile questioned

"It is." Robin replied in a rather rash tone.

"It's not…not exactly what I imagined. Can you decipher it?"

"Yes, I can."

"Well, then read the poneglyph aloud." Crocodile said, a hint of enthusiasm in his voice.

After spotting off some nonsense about the history of the country Crocodile interrupted. "Hold on! You think that's what I wanted know!?" Now he was annoyed and angry. "I don't give a damn about the history of this country. I want to know where the Pluton is hidden."

"The location isn't recorded here. There is only the history of the country inscribed here." Robin replied. Over the years she had gotten very good at lying and deception, two skills that kept her alive up to this point.

"The name Pluton isn't even once mentioned in this passage."

"I see, what a shame. Well then. It seems like our little arrangement has finally met its end. You were a most valuable partner. It's too bad I will have to kill you." Crocodile said not even a hint of sadness or remorse to speak of in his voice.

It was then that they heard someone shouting "Crocodile." over and over. Getting louder each time as the source got closer.

"Damn it Mugiwara." Crocodile said annoyed. "Well it looks like you earned yourself a reprieve. I'm going to finish off that little bastard. Then I am coming back to kill you."

Robin couldn't say anything; her legs gave out beneath her. She wasn't exactly sure why they did. But was she ever glad to see Luffy and to hear his voice. Maybe she was just glad that this whole ordeal with Crocodile would soon be over. She would soon be able to go to (back to) the friends who would fight the whole world in order to save her.

Crocodile, not noticing any of Robin's actions walked back through the doors. Standing not ten feet in front of him was the pain in the ass that seemed to have the devils luck on his side.

"I've had just about all I can take of you for one life time. I will finish you off once and for all. This place will be your tomb." Crocodile was beyond pissed off. "The kid gloves are off you pain in the ass rookie." Crocodile said as he took the gold hook off revealing a hook that had poison dripping from it.

"Sounds good to me." Luffy said as he did one thing. He ran over to Robin and put his straw hat on her head. In the meantime, Luffy was thinking of his future encounters with old Crocoboy.

"Alright, now I'm ready." Luffy said as he ran back and stood ready to fight.

In the meantime, Cobra who had since been released made his way over to the hidden trap.

Removing one little piece literally began the countdown to the demise of the Royal Crypt. With the countdown clock to their deaths ticking away the whole place began to rumble and shake. Stones started falling from all over the place. Soon enough the whole place would come down on their heads.

"Damn it Cobra. What did you do?" Crocodile asked, irritation present in his voice.

"I removed a pillar, one that was literally holding the roof up over our heads. Without it, we will all be buried down here. As the 12th head of the Nefertari Royal House, I shall never hand this country over to the likes of you."

"Damn it old man. At least let me kick his ass before you bring the roof down on us." Luffy crossed his arms and pouted.

"Now that is the funniest thing I have heard all day."

"I'm not joking, I really am going to kick your ass." Luffy's taunting didn't end there. Just irritate Crocodile even more he yelled. "I'm the man who is going to be King of the Pirates."

"No, I take it back. That is the funniest thing I have heard all day. But it won't matter. I will survive this cave in and I will take this country anyway. You three are going to die foolish dea…" Crocodile stopped mid-sentence as he was hit in the stomach.

"Man, has anyone ever told you that you talk way too damn much. You really don't get sick of hearing yourself talk, do you?"

Robin could only laugh at Luffy ripping into Crocodile's mannerisms.

"What is it this time Straw Hat? Do you have water hidden somewhere? Or will it be another pitiful attempt at using Haki?"

Luffy didn't say anything. He just turned both of his fists and forearms black and held it.

"Shit" Crocodile said as he looked at Luffy's forearms.

"Yeah." Luffy said as he propelled himself forward and really let Crocoboy have it. Landing a few punches in the stomach.

"Haki, the power to fight against particularly tricky devil fruit users." Robin said as she walked over to Cobra. Luffy's straw hat on her head.

"What?" Cobra replied confusion in his voice.

"That's what Luffy is using to fight Crocodile."

"Just a moment ago you were very different. What happened?" Cobra asked, his interest piqued.

"After just staring death in the face you gain a different outlook on life." Robin said "I guess you could say I have been through something similar in the past and let's leave it at that."

"Very well. So, this Haki will make the difference?" Cobra questioned

"I've heard that it allows users to touch for example a logia devil fruit user even if they are using their powers. The only problem is that it doesn't negate the powers of the opposing devil fruit user." Robin explained.

"You are quite knowledgeable." Cobra said. "You might have been able to put that brain of yours to good use had it not been for Crocodile."

"That's partially true your highness. The problem with your logic is that if it was anyone else I would have continued to have been pursued. It is Crocodiles title and his methods that have allowed me to stay in the shadows for these past several years."

"That may very well be true. His position as Shichibukai allows for all sorts of questionable people to work under him. If I recall correctly, he said your name was Nico Robin. You are the child who sank, what was it, six battleships some twenty years ago?"

"That is what the newspapers say." Robin said with a bit of a sigh.

"That always did sound somewhat preposterous. Even with what you are able to do with your devil fruit." Cobra said as he chuckled to himself.

"It does, doesn't it. Then again people will believe any ridiculous thing they read in the newspaper."

"That they will." Cobra said. "I'm curious about something Nico Robin?"

"What would that be?"

"What do you have to gain should your now former boss lose this fight? Do you start running again?" Cobra asked. Which was strange, he was having such a casual conversation with a woman who had up until recently been looking to remove him from power.

"I could escape and run for the rest of my life but that's not a good way to spend any extended amount of time I should know I have been running for twenty years. I have some ideas about what I can do next." Robin said, thinking of a green haired swordsman. "The only reason I joined Crocodile was to be able to look for more of the poneglyphs scattered around the world."

"How many of those stones are there?"

"That is a very good question. I am not sure of that myself. I have found seen just two in the past, before my time with Crocodile. They are notoriously hard to find, especially with the World Government constantly searching for me."

"What do you hope to gain?" Cobra asked

"I want to learn the history of the Void Century. What could have been so bad that the government would want to erase a hundred years of history." Robin replied, fairly well aware of what the government would want to hide.

"Hiding anything that they would deem inconvenient for them. It would have to be something so atrocious that it would paint their organization in a negative light should something like that get out. I could only imagine what something might be." Cobra said

"That would make sense. Do you have any experience in hiding something inconvenient that would hinder your rule?" Robin asked

"Everyone has their secrets but nothing worth erasing from the history books. I make a point to learn from my mistakes. Everyone makes them and just because I am King doesn't mean I am infallible or immune from making my fair share." Cobra said, sincerity in his tone of voice.

"Hopefully this fight ends soon, I don't want to be buried down here." Robin said

"What is stopping you from leaving now? Your ties to Crocodile have been severed, and you have none to the young man fighting him."

"I do have one." Robin said, grabbing onto the brim of the straw hat on her head and pulling it down slightly.

"Very well." Cobra replied

"Look up, they seem to have reached the climax of their fight." Robin said

Cobra tilted his head skyward and was in awe at what he saw. The next moment he was outside of the crypt with Nico Robin still sitting next to him. With this we jump back a few moments to just after Luffy punched Crocodile in the stomach.

Crocodile had just gotten up after Luffy's most recent attack. "So you were messing with me the entire time?" Crocodile asked

"Maybe." Luffy said sticking his tongue out.

"Well, Haki or no, my devil fruit power is still superior. I only have to land one good attack and you are done for kid."

"Yeah, that's true. I would kinda be screwed." Luffy said, a dumbass expression plastered all over his face.

Crocodile face faulted for a second there. He couldn't believe someone could be so, so uncaring in the face of certain demise.

"You little fucker, I am going to enjoy sucking all of the moisture out of your body."

"Even if you can, I'm not going to let you."

"Really, well if you are so confident why don't you come at me with all you've got." Crocodile said, lifting his hand and motioning for Luffy to come at him.

"Well, don't blame me if you can't hit me anymore." Luffy activated Gear Second in his legs and in addition used soru. With both techniques in effect Luffy seemed to vanish from sight, only leaving behind after images of where he had been. The images appeared all over the crypt. Not just on the ground but up in the air.

Crocodile was in awe momentarily before he regained his composure. "Normally I wouldn't create a sandstorm in such an enclosed area but I think this will be worth it to rid the world of you once and for all."

So that's what he did. In his hand, he created a sandstorm. By no means was it going to be as large as the storm that hit the town of Erumalu, but it would be enough. Crocodile created a storm that sucked in much of the debris that was on the ground. Luffy's constant motion was forcefully grinned to a halt as he was almost caught in the storm. But then he remembered that there were two people who were going to get caught in the middle of this fight. So Luffy made his way over to Robin and Cobra. He grabbed them and got them to safety outside. Just before he made his way back into the crypt he told Robin something.

"I will find you after I am done here." Robin nodded and Luffy was gone. Cobra was speechless. Robin got up and was about to walk away before she turned back to Cobra. "I know you won't be able to forgive me for my part in all of this right now. I have to apologize for all the pain that I have caused you and your daughter. I will come up with a way to make amends someday." That was the last thing Robin said before she walked off.

Back inside the crypt Crocodile was enjoying himself so much he hardly noticed Luffy's absence.

"Are you ready to end this once and for all?" Crocodile asked. "That foolish princess thinks she can stop all that I have set in motion. I have built this whole organization to search for the Pluton. I will find it, come hell or high-water."

"Would you shut the fuck up. All you talk about is Pluton or Vivi. Frankly, I am sick of hearing your voice."

Luffy yelled "Busoshoku Koka" he coated his fists and forearms in Haki. He propelled himself forward through the sandstorm, his fists staying back where he originated, eventually flying to catch up to Luffy he yelled "Twin Red Hawk."

Contact was made and Crocodile spat up blood. Luffy punched Crocodile in the chin propelling him up to the ceiling. Luffy followed using a partial, scaled down Gear Fourth transformation (I'm dubbing jet man). Crocodile mustered the last of his strength to put up one last defense. He launched a half dozen giant sand axes at Luffy.

Luffy coated his fists in Haki and he broke through the blades with little difficulty. With the last bit of Crocodile's attack destroyed, Luffy blew into his arm and made them just a few times larger than his forearms regularly were. He proceeded to use a small version of his Elephant Gun and in the process punched Crocodile several times, knocking him out. In addition, he blew a size-able hole in the bedrock between the crypt below and the town above. His attack did end up doing considerable damage. Everything that had been in the way was destroyed. Buildings of all shapes and sizes had succumb to the enormous strain that Luffy had exerted on the area.

With pieces of bedrock flew an unconscious Crocodile as well as the remains of his sandstorm. Which luckily didn't get the chance to expand and create any more unnecessary destruction for the people of Alabasta. Luffy was able to get out of the crypt through the hole that he had created, instead of using the only set of stairs he knew about. This time after fighting Crocodile, Luffy didn't have any serious stab wounds, nor was he poisoned. He was just hungry and tired. Crocodile was sent soaring, higher into the air than his previous encounter. Just a few moments later did he fall back down to the ground near the center of the conflict he had orchestrated.

Following Luffy's fight he looked to the sky and saw the sun once again beating down on the country of sand. In the meantime, the royal crypt had all but collapsed in on itself.

Earlier and around the same time that Luffy was running down the stairs to the Royal Crypt. Pell, Vivi and the Straw Hats were approaching the clock tower.

"There it is." Vivi yelled as she pointed to the building just a few hundred feet away. It wasn't long before everyone was at the base of the building.

"So that's it." Sanji said taking a puff of his cigarette. "How do we get inside?"

"There is a single staircase that leads to the top of the tower." Vivi said "We should have enough time to get to the top and prevent it from going off."

"A few of us will stay here and prevent anyone from making it inside." Zoro said drawing his swords and turning to face the crowd of people coming towards them. Usopp, Sanji, Chopper and Vivi went in the door and began to make their way up the stairs. Pell turned into a bird and flew off. A few moments later he landed on the rooftop of the clock tower. Nami stayed behind to help Zoro protect the others.

Not long after the four went inside the building did they make it to the top of the staircases. There they were met with a door that took little effort on Sanji's part to break down. The two Baroque Agent guards standing near the cannon turned around with their guns drawn when they heard the noise behind them.

"Well if it isn't Miss Wednesday." Miss Father's Day said, a hint of surprise in her voice.

"We should take care of these meddlesome kids." Mr. 7 said

Well that is exactly what they attempted to do as they shot multiple rounds in relatively quick succession. Unknown to the pair of agents there was someone who saw these bullets as less than a challenge. Usopp was able to dispatch the bullets as fast as they were fired.

Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day were dumbfounded. Neither of them had seen someone able to stop a single projectile, let alone eight. While the pair was standing there with their mouths wide open Sanji took that opportunity to knock out Mr.7 while Vivi took out Miss Father's Day. From there she cut the lit fuse running along the floor to the massive cannon.

"That was so impressive Usopp-san." Vivi said. Usopp was giddy at the praise from the princess. Sanji was bitter that he wasn't getting the same praise and he was sulking. While Sanji was pouting Usopp was busy walking over to the opening of the cannon. He looked at what was inside and a chill went down his spine.

"Sanji, stop being a baby. We have to figure out what to do with this thing." Usopp said as peaked around the side of the cannon. "This thing is massive. We have to do something, it's on a timer. The fuse was just the primary means of detonation."

Sanji perked up and got ready to work. "Vivi-chan, these clock faces must open, correct?"

"I believe so, I've never tried nor do I think I could if I did." Vivi said, a hint of concern on her face at the prospect of what could happen, should things go sideways.

"Don't worry Vivi-chan, we've got this covered. Chopper." Sanji said as he looked at Chopper who had been off to side up until this point.

Chopper transformed into heavy point and walked over to the inside of the clock face. With some effort Chopper, Sanji and Usopp were able to get the clock open. Pell had been waiting for the signal. When the clock face opened, he spread his wings and took to the air. He dove off of the roof, sailed a distance and banked left. He flew into the previously occupied opening and change back to his human form.

"That was fast." Pell said. "Vivi-sama, you found yourself some very reliable friends." Pell said with a smile.

"You are right. I am so glad I was able to meet them." Vivi said but quickly put a halt to the mushy stuff. "We will have plenty of time for that after all of this is over."

"You are correct. Down to business." Pell said getting serious with the smile leaving his face. "How much time do we have left?"

"Shit" Usopp said. "That's a good question. I was surprised by how big that the thing is I didn't check." Usopp stated his head hanging low.

"Usopp, you dumbass." Sanji yelled with shark teeth.

Everyone walked over to the opening of the cannon looked at the clock.

Down at the base of the tower Nami and Zoro were effortlessly taking care of any and all Baroque Works agents that came their way.

"This isn't even a challenge." Zoro stated.

"No kidding you idiot. These guys were hardly ever a challenge." Nami stated

"How much time do you think is left?" Zoro asked

"Who knows. Anywhere from a few minutes to a few seconds, I would think."

"That's quite a gap there. But those idiots have this handled."

"Thunder Lance Tempo." Nami said electrocuting many of the Baroque works soldiers.

The two sides, the Royal Guard and the Rebel forces continued their fighting.

Back inside the Clock Tower:

"Holy shit. We don't have a lot of time left." Sanji said. "Off the top of my head we have two options. Chopper you use monster point and throw that thing as far as you can into the desert. Option two is Pell flies this thing out of here and drops it somewhere it will do the least amount of damage."

"Sanji" Chopper said. "I don't have enough room in here for that." Before anything else could be said Pell spoke up. "We don't have a lot of time, just over 35 seconds."

"Vivi-sama, it has been an honor serving the Nefertari family." Pell didn't allow anytime for a response. He turned into a bird and grabbed the ever so convenient handle with his talons and flew away.

"Pell" Vivi yelled as the brave falcon took to the sky.

The seconds continued to tick by. 'Flying with this heavy thing in tow is quite tiring and that was the last thought Pell had. He couldn't waste time thinking about anything other than the clock that continues to count down.

Back inside the Clock Tower:

"Pell only has about 15 seconds left before that thing goes boom." Usopp said "There is nothing around to destroy. He only has to worry about getting away from the blast radius. If he does that he should be able to get away unscathed. If he can't th…" Usopp was cut off with a kick to the head from Sanji.

"Don't scare Vivi-chan you bastard."

"I'm just being realistic, when that thing goes off the explosion will be huge." Usopp said, now rubbing the comically large bump on the top of his head.

"Thank you for the concern Sanji-san. I have to make peace with the decision Pell has made. But that doesn't mean I have to like it and I really don't like it. I didn't want Pell to sacri…" Vivi was mid thought as the bomb exploded. The sound was ear drum shattering and the light from the explosion itself was blinding. The clouds parted with the explosion, a circle of brilliant blue sky remained. The ground was shook and some of the people who were fighting had been tossed around by the shockwave following the explosion.

"Pell" Vivi yelled as she started to cry, falling to the floor. She was fearing the worst of all the possibilities.

"Vivi-chan" Sanji said putting a hand on her shoulder.

'I wish I could tell if he was ok.' Sanji and Usopp both thought. Neither one of them having a great grasp over their Kenbonshoku Haki.

"We are going back down to do whatever we can to stop some of the fighting." Sanji said.

Before Usopp, Sanji and Chopper could leave the clock tower and make their way back to down to the ground they saw someone soar into the sky.

"Crocodile" They all said.

Vivi heard the Straw Hats with her mention the name Crocodile. So, she stood up and walked over to the large opening overlooking the square where the two sides were clashing. That was where she saw the reason for her countries problems, just hovering there in midair. Realizing Luffy had held up his promise Vivi regained her determination to see this war come to an end. Vivi wiped away the remaining tears from her eyes and she started yelling "Please Everyone, Stop Fighting! Please Stop Fighting Everyone!" She continued yelling as loud as she could. The Straw Hats left her to do what she could from up here.

Back down on the ground:

Usopp, Chopper and Sanji left Vivi in the clock tower. They moved as fast as they could and made their way back outside. They were met by Nami and Zoro who had been busy this whole time keeping their one way out safe. The people who had been knocked over began to get back up. The problem was that the people continued to fight instead of stopping. Swords clashed and bullets continued to fly.

Tashigi thought back to what Smoker told her earlier. 'You should pay attention to what transpires here. Watch what becomes of this country. This is history in the making. The outcome of this fight is what will be spoken about for years to come.'

'I can't believe they can still fight after an explosion like that.' Tashigi thought as she looked on as the violence started to escalate once again. "Why won't they stop?" She asked herself.

"What took you so long Curly-brow?" Zoro asked in his so very common teasing manner.

"What do you mean you damn marimo? I was trying to comfort Vivi-chan but she is fixated on stopping this craziness. There was nothing I could say to her that would make her feel better.

"Well…" Zoro said taking a deep breath. "We will do what we can. In the end it is up to her to stop this."

"I hate it when you are right. Even just admitting that makes me feel sick."

Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Usopp and Chopper attacked as many people as they could. They wanted to help Vivi and the only thing they could think of that was remotely helpful was attacking people to try to reduce the number of people that would actually die by fighting against other citizens of Alabasta.

"Did you see Crocodile go flying a little while ago?" Usopp asked Nami.

"I did. Luffy must have done quite a number on Crocodile. Especially for him go soaring as high into the sky as he did." Usopp responded only to continue fighting against random adversaries.

From the Clock Tower:

There was a look in her eye while she was yelling. It was one of pain, fury and at the same time determination. She was hell bent on stopping the fighting. But no one could hear her. She continued yelling "Please Everyone, Stop Fighting! Please Stop Fighting Everyone!"

Not even a minute later something fell out of the sky. Something that had not been felt by the country for quite some time. Rain. Rain started to fall. It was at that point that the fighting started to slow down.

'The fighting is slowing down. The sound of battle is slowly grinding to a halt.' Tashigi thought as she felt the rain begin to hit her skin.

Just a few seconds ago and somewhere not too far off did a certain Shichibukai make contact with the ground after taking a trip skyward.

Luffy used his haki to track Robin down. She didn't get that much of a head start on him.

"I figured it wouldn't be long before you caught up to me." Robin said in a much more pleasant tone. More of the tone he was accustomed to post Enies Lobby.

"Yeah, I told you I would catch up with you." Luffy said, all excited to see Robin again.

"Here you go." Robin said taking the Straw Hat off her head. "I know this means a lot to you. For you to entrust this to me means a lot."

"Don't mention it. Even though I have made questionable decisions to redo all of our adventure doesn't mean I trust you or anybody any less. It was selfish of me…" Luffy was stopped mid-sentence when an arm sprouted from his shoulder and held up a slender finger.

"I already told you, I am ok with this. It just means that we get to make mess with the World Government all over again." Robin said uncrossing her arms and letting the arm disappear into flower petals.

"Still, you have to know that I will do anything for you. Like I said back then, or is it later?" Luffy pondered for a few seconds before he gave up. "Well whatever the case, whenever the case. Your enemy is my enemy. I will do anything, fight anyone to make sure you are happy."

"I know." Robin said as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "We have some time before the Marine reinforcements show up. I will meet up with you and the rest of the crew in a couple of days should things transpire in a similar fashion. See you." Robin said before she once again walked off. This time grabbing a fresh change of clothes from an at least for the time being vacant house.

"You and Nami are so alike." Luffy said before he vanished.

Robin and Luffy didn't notice, but at some point, during their conversation the rain started falling. At the same as they were talking the fighting was slowing down. The dust clouds that had risen from the constant fighting were starting to settle as the rain began to fall.

It was at this point that all the people involved could hear someone yelling. At first it was just pieces of words but eventually what many people heard was "Please Everyone, Stop Fighting! Please Stop Fighting Everyone!" It was at this point that the rain had picked up in intensity.

Finally, the fighting had come to a head. Everyone had lowered their weapons and they could finally try to pinpoint the sound that for a time sounded like their mind playing a trick on them. But to mostly everyone's surprise, Straw Hats excluded. They were beyond surprised to learn that the someone who had been yelling was the now formally missing princess. It was also at the same that some people noticed that Sir Crocodile had been lying on the ground, unconscious with a myriad of fractures in the ground flowing out from where his body impacted the ground.

"It's amazing. To think that a pirate would save our country from another pirate, a government sanctioned one at that. What are the odds of this happening?" Cobra said to no one as he walked his way through town. Just then the pirate he had been talking about reappeared just a few feet in front of him.

"You really shouldn't do that." Cobra said as he looked at his countries savior.

"Sorry, just figured I would keep an eye on you. You never know what those bastards who worked for Crocodile might try and do."

"I do appreciate that. But don't follow too close. I am a King after all, and while I have nothing against you neither the marines nor the people should see us talking so openly." Cobra finished his little speech only to realize that Luffy was gone.

Back with Vivi who is still up in the Clock Tower:

"The rain will fall again as in the past. Now that the nightmare is finally over…!" Vivi said

To say that the people were unhappy was an understatement. Many raised their swords, furious over Vivi's words. Unwilling to accept that just because someone says something is over doesn't make it so. The rebels were up in arms over Kouza getting shot. None of the rebels were willing to accept this sort of conclusion to the uprising. At the same time the rebels were beyond angry about the part that the Royal guard has played in this whole conflict.

From the palace courtyard came another voice. It was Commander Chaka yelling "Royal Guard

put down your arms!" Chaka was a bloody mess from his interaction with Crocodile.

It wasn't but seconds before another familiar voice could be heard. "You Maa Maa…You too Rebels!" Igaram said. He was carrying the young boy Kohza didn't allow to join in the fighting. He just also happened to be the same boy who would save the Royal families backsides.

People began shouting "Captain?" As well as "Captain Igaram!" Vivi too was surprised to see Igaram. She thought he died in the explosion Miss All Sunday rigged.

Chaka was also surprised Igaram was alive. The Straw Hats not so much. Those who had their memories just played along, hoping everything would turn out the same as last time.

"Can you walk?" Igaram asked the young boy he was carrying in his arms. He let the boy down and he began to talk about all that he had seen.

Some of the Rebels were surprised as they had recognized the kid from just the other day. "You've got it all wrong! The Royal Guard didn't do anything to me! The people who attacked me were fakes! They were just wearing the same uniforms! The King was also an imposter! All of this was fake."

"He's right. This whole conflict was set up from the very beginning." Kohza said as he sat on the ground still bleeding from the bullet wounds that he had received earlier in the day.

"I will explain, everything that has occurred in this country. But first you must all put down your weapons." Igaram said. And so, they did. Royal Guards and Rebels alike all dropped their weapons.

Vivi at this point had started her descent down from the clock tower and back outside. She started scanning the area for her friends. But they were nowhere to be seen.

Just a few moments earlier as the fighting was ending they walked off into town. As much as they wanted to see Vivi right now, they couldn't. They are pirates and they aren't supposed to interact with, let alone be friends with Royalty.

"Where the hell do you think Luffy ran off to?" Sanji asked, his hands in his pockets looking to pull out his lighter. It was then that by coincidence they walked into the King who was sans Luffy this time. A second later Luffy lands right in between his crew and the King.

"I thought I told you not to do that." Cobra said as once again surprised Luffy's sudden appearance.

"Sorry about that. But I didn't think you would walk into my friends." Luffy said as he walked over to the crew.

Almost like clockwork, Vivi showed up. "Everyone! Papa!?"

"It's Vivi-chan" Sanji said.

"So, you lot know my daughter?" Cobra asked, even though it was obvious at this point that they knew each other.

"Papa, these are my friends. The people I told you about in the letter. They brought me home."

"So you're the King?" Zoro said in an unenthusiastic tone.

"Yes I am. You have my thanks for bringing my daughter home." Cobra said.

"Vivi, why don't you and your father go back to the square. I'm sure now that the rebellion has ceased everyone will need strong leaders to guide them through all of this." Nami said as she sat down to rest.

"Why don't you come with us?" Vivi asked.

"Vivi-chan, we're pirates. We have no intention of getting involved in any countries affairs." Sanji said, lighting a cigarette.

"I guess that's fair. However, I want all of you to go to the palace. You will be able to recuperate there in peace and quiet." Vivi said. Her father said nothing, he just smiled, agreeing to that idea.

Soon after the King and Princess were on their way back to the square all the Straw Hats sans Luffy passed out. They might have been training since they regained their memories but their bodies were only just beginning to adapt to the increased exercise. Luffy didn't pass out initially but his body was heavy and he needed just a little time to rest. So, he fell asleep.

Back in the Square all the people had learned of Crocodiles crimes. They were beyond surprised in learning what he was involved with in the shadows. He had been their savior. He was the one who was protecting the country from pirates who happened across the country. To learn that he was responsible in part for the uprising left a bad taste in the citizen's mouths. But, then again they did put their trust in a pirate. They shouldn't be surprised. It just so happens that they put their faith in the wrong pirate.

"I take it you found what you were looking for Captain Smoker?" Tashigi asked via Den Den Mushi.

"I did." Smoker said "Proceed." Smoker continued

"Understood Captain Smoker." Tashigi replied before Smokers end went quiet.

It was at this point that many unnamed Marines as well as Tashigi took Crocodile into custody. She proceeded to revoke Crocodile of his rights and privileges as a Shichibukai. The Marines took as many of the Baroque Works Billions into custody as they could find. Conveniently they were already unconscious, which made their jobs easier.

Somewhere in the city Bon Clay was up and about.

Back in the square:

Vivi and Cobra had made their way back to all their people.

"We've done something we can never take back." Kohza said sulking

Vivi was off to the side unsure of what to say to Kohza.

King Cobra proceeded to give a speech that would set the country in the right direction towards the future. With that speech, the battles on two fronts concluded. The battle amongst and between the people of Alabasta as well as the battle between a group of pirates and a secret organization.

After that the people of Alabasta, those who fought in the conflict and those who didn't began to pick each other up. As the country and people began the process of rebuilding the rain fell. It fell all over the country and only after a three-year drought.

Around the same time on the Northern side of the Alabasta:

"What were you thinking? Commandeering my troops to search for one little ship. Quite vexing. Hina is vexed." Hina said in an irritated tone of voice

"Don't give me that crap. We've been associates for some time now." Smoker replied

"Hina sympathizes with Tashigi." She said

Smoker just replied with a "Hmph. Regardless, take this rain making ship back to HQ."

"Why should I?" Hina interjected

"Oh yeah, you'll have to bring Crocodile with you. Tashigi will be bringing him back sooner or later." Smoker stated.

"Don't think you can boss me around!"

"Fine." Smoker said as he took a coin out of his pocket and flipped it. The coin landed in his left hand and he quickly put the coin down on top of his right hand.

"Heads" Hina called

Smoker moved his left that had been covering the coin revealing the tails side of the coin "You lose." Smoker said.

"You haven't changed at all have you? Hina is disappointed!"

"I know, I'm well aware of that."

Back in Alubarna the Marines had happened across the Straw Hat pirates who were asleep on the ground.

"Don't touch them." Tashigi said, trying to speak with some authority in her voice.

"But Sergeant Major, we may never get an opportunity like this again!"

"I understand that. However, I will not allow anybody to lay a hand on them! Understood!" Tashigi said however, even she was a little bit unsure if she was making the right call.

"Leave them be! That's an order!" Tashigi said putting her foot down. "We have other criminals to round up."

Understanding that they were outranked and therefore not allowed to disobey the orders of a superior officer they left the Straw Hats where they were. They proceeded to take other pirates into custody. Tashigi stared at the unconscious pirates for a moment. She contemplated the repercussions of leaving them to do as they pleased. She had all sorts of horrible thoughts in that head of hers. Yet, she couldn't see any of them coming to pass after her previous interactions with this particular crew.

Two hours later all the Straw Hats except for Luffy woke up and they were able to get to the palace. From their all their wounds were patched up and they proceeded to go to sleep. The whole crew plus Vivi were in a room with more than enough beds for them all to sleep. However, Vivi didn't sleep. She watched the rain fall.

In the middle of the night there was a knock on the door it opened and was quickly shut. Igaram walked in and over to Princess Vivi.

"Couldn't sleep?" Igaram asked

"No, I just wanted to watch the rain fall."

So, that is what the two proceeded to do, at least for a time.

"I will never understand how you were able to just ignore this snoring." Igaram said as he walked over to the Straw Hats, he proceeded to pick up and cover up all of the members of the crew who had been sleeping in rather odd positions.

"It was tough at first, but I got used to it rather quickly. It's almost soothing now"

"You know, I wish I could have said thank you."

"Pell was loyal member of the Royal Guard. He was always willing to sacrifice himself if it meant that it would protect the country that he loved."

"Okay, but it doesn't make it any less difficult."

"I can only speak to what I think Pell would want. I don't believe he would want you to mourn him. He would want you to remember all the memories you made. The good and the bad times. Remembering a person is the only way for them to live on." Igaram pointed to his head and soon after pointed to his heart. "He will live on, for I don't ever plan to forget what he meant to me. I will forever be grateful to have been able to call him my friend and comrade."

Vivi didn't say anything. She just let all of what Igaram said sink in.

"Try and get some sleep. We are going to be busy tomorrow and for the foreseeable future." Igaram said before he walked out through the door before closing it.

Vivi eventually got up from the chair she had been sitting on and went to bed. The next morning the crew sans Luffy woke up relatively early considering they spent the better part of yesterday afternoon and evening sound asleep. Any wounds that they had sustained during their battles were treated and wrapped with bandages. Of course, Chopper stressed staying in bed and resting. But he knew the crew well enough and he knew that they weren't going to do as he said. So, he went about his own business and began working on making more medicine and Rumble Balls.

Zoro, Sanji and Usopp were walking around when they walked into Chaka.

"How are you three doing?" Chaka asked

"Considering everything that's happened in the past 24 hours I have no complaints." Zoro said

"That's fair, all of this has been hard on everyone." Chaka replied

"Hey, do you guys have somewhere we can train?" Sanji asked "A place that the Marines won't be able to get to, so that we don't get you guys in trouble for harboring us."

"Don't worry about us, we wouldn't think of turning in our countries saviors. The Marines won't be an issue. We have several sites outside and within the city. They all should be more than large enough for your training. Please follow me." Chaka said before he walked off. Usopp, Sanji and Zoro followed behind him.

Around the same time the Marine forces were reconvening at the Eastern Port of Tamarisk. Tashigi got off of one of the many camels transporting troops and walked toward the stairs leading to the deck of the ship. There she saw Captains Smoker and Hine. Smoker was sitting on the stairs while Hina was standing just a few feet from the base of the stairs.

"Good work!" One of the Marines said

"It's been a while Tashigi." Hina said.

"Hina-san" Tashigi said as she walked but stopped just a couple of feet past Hina. "Hello…I'm a little tired, so I'm going to go rest for a bit. Tashigi walked to the base of the stairs and stopped. "Reporting back, Captain Smoker."

"Yeah, Good job. I heard about the incident with the Straw Hat."

"Forgive me Captain…I aided the pirates and let them escape even though they were vulnerable. I understand that these actions are shameful for a Marine."

"Why apologize? Did your actions stem from your own sense of justice?"

"No, they did not. It was because it was the only thing I could do. I knew where the enemy was and knew when the bombing was to occur. But I was only able to provide the location of the enemy and only able to provide support."

"They must have figured this out by now. But the only way to survive on these seas is to reach higher and higher. Do you continue to advance or will you die?"

Tashigi began her ascent up the stairs. Doing her best to keep her composure all the while.

"You decided to come to this sea, did you not?" Smoker said.

"Excuse me Captain, I need to rest for a while." Once she made it past Smoker the barrier broke and the tears began to fall.

"Idiot" Smoker said taking the cigars from his mouth. "IF YOU'RE FRUSTRATED ENOUGH TO CRY, THEN TRY GETTING STRONGER!"

"YES SIR" Tashigi yelled. Following that she proceeded to go below deck to her cabin and cry.

Smoker walked down the stairs to watch over the on-boarding of the prisoners. Just after he made his way off the stairs a Marine grunt came over to him. "Captain Smoker, you have a call from headquarters." Smoker picked up the line and the Den Den Mushi began talking.

He proceeded to have a very interesting conversation with headquarters. They wanted to congratulate him and Tashigi on their defeat and capture of Crocodile. For their outstanding work, they would be awarded medals and they would each get promoted one rank. But Smoker wasn't having any of it. Hina on the other hand was trying to get Smoker to calm down. She didn't want him getting in trouble for disobeying their superiors. In the end Smoker told the person on the other end to pass along a message to their superiors.

"Tell them to go to hell."

Back in the Palace at Alubarna the three straw hats were still following Chaka.

"This place is so huge" Usopp said as he looked around, astonished at all the work that must have went into constructing such a place.

It wasn't long before Chaka came to a stop at large door.

"This is incredible" Sanji said as Chaka opened the door.

Just beyond the doors was a massive open courtyard where all the soldiers trained. Just 20 feet above them were hallways that wrapped around the area. The halls connect one end of the palace to the other. On the second floor, the hallways have a three-foot-tall partitioned wall that allows people to look down into the courtyard. Running from the floor to the ceiling are thick pillars that likely held up part of the roof above them.

"We are within the walls of the palace, no one from the outside will be bother you. On top of that quite a bit of noise comes from this area. You are free to use all that is here." Chaka said before he walked away and closed the doors behind him.

"Well, let's get started." Zoro said before he started with some light weight training, Usopp started with target practice, and Sanji ran laps around the perimeter. After their respective light warmups, they began their real practice, working on their Haki.

In another part of the Palace Luffy was still sound asleep. He had slept for three days their first time through. He had also been poisoned last time and had a terrible fever. This time he was just tired, his body still not exactly in the shape he needs to be in. None of the crew thought he would sleep nearly as long this time. Vivi on the other hand was kind of skeptical.

"Vivi, I hope you have enough food. Once this idiot wakes up he will make at least a days' worth of food disappear." Nami said as she sat on a couch in the corner of the room reading.

"Don't worry Nami-san, we have plenty of food to feed Luffy-san when he wakes up" Vivi said from the bed closest to Nami.

"I'm sure he will appreciate it." Nami said

"I'm so glad I happened across you guys back at the Twin Capes. If I hadn't this country would have fallen under Crocodile's control." Vivi said as she started to tear up. "So many people would have died. I will be forever grateful, you all gave us another chance."

"Vivi." Nami said as she got up from the couch, putting the book down in the process. She walked over to Vivi and flicked her on the forehead to get her to stop, only to wrap Vivi up in a tight embrace. "You don't have to get all sappy and you never have to thank us. We do things for each other, because that is what friends do."

It was at this point that Luffy woke up from his extended sleep. "Nami is right, Vivi. We will do anything for you. All you have to do is feed us." Luffy said as he rubbed his stomach

Nami walked over to Luffy and proceeded to punch him in the head, he landed face first on the floor. "You really do only think with your stomach, don't you, you dumbass!" Nami said with over exaggerated shark teeth and a reddish fist. Vivi looked down to see a large bump on Luffy's head where Nami had hit him.

"Hey Nami." Luffy said, face still partially stuck to the floor.

"What's up?" Nami asked, her normal features returning.

"How long was I sleeping?"

"About 20 hours. Why?"

"I didn't think my body would need that much time to recover."

"Well, fighting a Shichibukai is pretty taxing." Nami said, crossing her arms under her breasts.

"I guess I need more practice." Luffy said, finally standing up.

"You could go train with the guys." Nami said "Didn't Chaka take them somewhere they could train?"

"He did." Vivi said "I can show you guys if you would like."

"That wou…" Nami was interrupted mid sentence as Terracotta walked in to find Luffy awake.

"Would you look at that, the captain is awake." Terracotta said "Vivi-sama tells me you have quite the appetite. I haven't lost to anyone's appetite yet; I don't intend to start now." She said, very confident in her skills as head chef. "We've brought this for you to snack on until the banquet later today." On that cue, a cart of food was pushed in for Luffy to eat. Blink and you would miss it. The food was gone in an instant.

"That was delicious. I look forward to eating more of your food." Luffy said as he walked towards the door. "Vivi, you were going to show us where the guys are."

"Oh, yes. If you would follow me." Vivi said "If you would excuse us Terracotta-san." Terracotta and her staff moved aside to allow Princess Vivi and her guests by.

Nami and Vivi were chatting on their way to the courtyard. As they were walking they noticed that some guards had been heading in the same direction. In just under five minutes Nami, Vivi and Luffy had reached the hallways above the courtyard. A crowd of guards had gathered to watch the three Straw Hats fight.

Vivi tapped on one of the guard's shoulders and asked "What's going on?"

"Some of the Straw Hats are fighting downstairs." The guard said, unaware of who he was talking to.

"I can't believe a crowd like this would gather just to watch Zoro, Sanji and Usopp fight." Nami said. "What do you think Vivi?"

"I'm not really surprised they drew a crowd. On top of that there is quite a bit of open space down there for them to move around.."

The guard turned to his right to see Nami and Luffy. "Excuse me, did you say Vivi?"

"Yes I did. She's right next to me." Nami said. The guard turned to his left and was shocked to see the princess right behind him.

"Princess Vivi-sama." The guard said. Several guards near him turned around to see Vivi standing behind them.

"It's the princess." Several guards said. It only took a moment before all the guards realized that their princess was in attendance, trying to see what was going on.

"Please forgive us Princess for not realizing you were here sooner."

"Please, do not worry. Would you mind if my friends and I made our way to the front to get a better view?" Vivi asked politely

"But of course Princess." The guard said "Make way for the Princess." He continued and the guards in front made a path for Vivi and her guests. Once Vivi and company were at the railing overlooking the courtyard the path that had been made vanished.

From down below Zoro, Sanji and Usopp heard "make way for the Princess." They stopped momentarily to see Vivi, Nami and Luffy walk towards the front of the crowd.

"Well, well, would you look how is up. Have a nice rest sleeping beauty?" Zoro uttered sarcastically

"Who are you calling sleeping beauty, you bastard." Luffy replied with shark teeth. He quickly turned to Nami. "You want to practice or do you want to wait?"

"Go have fun. Show these guys a thing or two. Just don't make them look too ridiculous." Nami stated.

"We heard that Nami." Usopp said. "Don't you have any faith in us?"

"Of course I do. I just think Luffy will make you look silly. That's all."

Luffy jumped up and stood on the railing for a moment before he jumped off and landed twenty feet below. That alone got the attention of the guards. They were all quite amazed that someone would jump from such a height let alone land completely uninjured.

"Put on a good show." Nami said

"You ready guys?" Luffy asked "Let's see how much you have improved since we got to the island. Come at me all at once!" Luffy's said

"He can't take on all three? Can he?"

"He can!" Vivi said

Those simple words silenced the whole crowd. Luffy walked to the center of the courtyard and motioned with his upturned hand gesturing for them to make a move. The three went attack him and with that the show began.

Zoro, Sanji and Usopp began to attack Luffy. They all attacked him but he was able to avoid all of their attacks. Luffy even went as far as to grab the blade of Zoro's swords when he used one of his attacks. Sanji would attempt to kick Luffy, however he would use whichever of his arms or legs that were closest to counter. Usopp put up an attempt as well using none of his ammo from his time on the Boin Archipelago.

"How… How is it that he is doing that?" One of the guards asked

"He caught a sword in the palm of his hand." A second guard said.

"If he isn't dodging an attack he is taking it head on!" A third guard said.

"He's gone so far as to catch a projectile in mid-air." A fourth guard said

Nami had grown tired of standing and decided to sit on the bannister overlooking the courtyard. All she could do was laugh. Which throughly annoyed the guards. They couldn't understand why she was laughing. The guards even caught Princess Vivi using the palm of her hand to cover her mouth and prevent too many giggles from escaping.

The afternoon turned to dusk all the while the four Straw Hats guys sans Chopper were fighting. Many guards had come and gone. No matter how intrigued they were, they still had jobs to do. For a time, the quartet had even drawn the attention of the King as well as Igaram and Chaka.

"It's gotten dark out!" Luffy said, a little unaware at how long this fighting had been going on.

Just a few short seconds later a guard appeared from one of the halls. "Princess Vivi-sama, If you and your guests would follow me it's time to eat.

"You guys hear that?" Nami asked yelling down at the idiots. "Dinner!"

Hearing the word dinner, Luffy stretched his arm and propelled himself up to the second level. Scaring the guard in the process.

"What are we waiting for let's go!" Luffy said before he started marching off.

"Wait a second!" Nami yelled. Luffy stopped and turned on the balls of his feet to see what Nami wanted. "Go grab Chopper" she said. In the meantime Zoro, Sanji and Usopp had made their way upstairs to the second floor.

"Ok, I will go grab Chopper." Luffy said. "See you guys in the dining hall!"

"But how will he find it?" The guard asked

"Don't worry. He will find it. He might even get there before us if we don't get going." Zoro said as started walking in a completely random direction.

"Where the hell are you going Marimo?!" Sanji asked

"To the dining hall, shitty cook!" Zoro exclaimed

"It's this way you moron." Nami yelled.

Zoro just turned around and started walking in the same direction as the group. Several minutes later the group made their way into the dining hall. And to one's surprise, except for the guards, Luffy was already there with a dazed Chopper sitting next to him.

Everyone sat down and moments later food was brought out. Luffy started stuffing his face with anything within arm's reach, and for him that is across the whole damn table. So, all the straw hats guarded their food with their lives. It didn't take long before the guards started to comment amongst themselves at how loud the dining hall had become. Normally, it's supposed to be very quiet in there. But as we all know, whenever the Straw Hats get involved a party breaks out. Soon enough even the most uptight of the guards were laughing at the Straw Hats antics. Even the King, Igaram and Chaka couldn't help but cry from laughing too hard. By the end of the meal the plates that had been stacked ludicrously high were being cleared off of the table. Usopp, Chopper and Luffy were dancing on the table, chop sticks stuck up their noses.

After dinner, the Straw Hats went with King Cobra, Igaram and Vivi to the large bathhouse in the palace. The guys went to their side while the girls went to theirs.

"Would you look at this place! It's amazing!" Usopp said

"This grand bath, it's the pride of this palace. Normally it's only useable during the rainy season." Cobra explained.

Usopp and Luffy proceeded to mess around while the rest of the guys used the bath as it was intended to be used.

Of course Sanji was Sanji and had to ask "Where is the women's baths?"

"You lech, as if I would tell you." Igaram responded. "Princess Vivi is in there."

Cobra Walked over several feet to a wall and pointed to his left. "They are on the other side of this wall."

"That's just terrible your highness. Why would you tell them that? Your daughter is just on the other side of that wall!" Igaram questioned

"The wall is open at the top. You can look onto the other side if you wish." Cobra said

"Your highness!" Igaram yelled, appalled by the whole situation.

All of the guys sans Zoro proceeded to make their way to the top of the wall to wait for a chance to get a peak at the pretty ladies.

On the other side of the wall Vivi was washing Nami's back.

"I can't believe all the things we have seen. Dinosaurs, Giants, a Sakura tree blooming in the snow from atop a mountain. I can only imagine what else might be out there." Vivi said.

"Who knows, but if our first few weeks on the Grand Line are anything to go by, anything is possible." Nami stated, having a very good idea of what was actually feasible.

"Being royalty has its positives and negatives. I just hope that one day that I will be able to see the world like you do." Vivi said.

"Time for me to wash your back" Nami said

It was at this point that the steam had cleared just enough for her to noticed everyone, sans Zoro peeking over the wall separating the two spaces. Nami stood up and grabbed her towel from her lap and wrapped it over her shoulders, covering herself.

"You each owe me 100,000 beli, alright." Before anyone could agree, Nami dropped her towel. Everyone got a peek and fell off the wall with blood running from their noses.

"That's so naughty Nami-san!" Vivi said, she was beyond embarrassed. She could never do something like that she thought. If that wasn't enough, Vivi's cheeks were bright red.

Nami grabbed her towel like it didn't even phase her, she proceeded to sit back down and wash Vivi's back. After they were done they got into the bath and they both sat there for a time.

Back on the other side of the wall all of the guys had recovered. All of them except for Luffy who was sitting cross legged on the floor with his towel covering his lap. It was at this point that King Cobra walked over to Luffy and crew who were all in relatively close proximity to one another. Cobra got down on the floor to prostrate himself before the unusual group of pirates who saved his country.

It was at this point that Igaram scolded the King of the country for bowing before pirates.

"Don't be foolish Igaram." Cobra said. "Have you ever heard of a naked King?" Cobra asked

"Well, no. I guess, I haven't." Igaram retorted

"Rank is worn on the outside, on one's clothes, when in public."

"It is only here in a bath where we are all equal, where I can properly thank you. I want to thank you for all that you have done for this country, its people as well as myself and my daughter. You all brought her back home, and for that I will forever be grateful."

Cobra stayed like that for a time before Luffy interjected. "You don't have to bow before us. We didn't do it to be liked. We did all of this to help a friend who was in trouble. We did what we could so that she wouldn't have to worry. All because we couldn't stand to see her get upset. But most of all because she was willing to fight for what she believed in. If Vivi's heart wasn't in it like it was we m…" Sanji proceeded to kick Luffy in the head.

"That's enough you rubber bastard. He gets it. Vivi-chan played a large role in our involvement."

From the other side of the bath the girls could hear the conversation going on. Vivi wanted to cover the blush growing on her face. But a quick nudge from Nami and Vivi was listening like she would during any other conversation.

After some time in their respective baths, both males and females got out, dried off and got dressed. The Straw Hats along with Vivi and Carue decided to continue sleeping in the same room they had been set up in. The bath was relaxing enough that as soon as the Straw Hats laid down on their beds they passed out. The next morning things proceeded like they would with the Straw Hats involved.

After a quick breakfast the guys proceeded to go back to the courtyard and train. They had to take full advantage of the space. Spending lots of time on a boat doesn't leave you with any place for rigorous regular training. They have to avoid intense work outs on your only means of transportation. In the courtyard they didn't have this problem and worked to get in as much of the training that wasn't doable on a boat.

Over the course of their remaining time there the monster trio beat the living shit out of each other. Chopper, Nami, Usopp and even Vivi got involved in their training. Chopper spent less than half of his time fighting for a few reasons. He is the doctor, and he had his own work to do with his medicine and rumble balls. Nami too spent less than half the time the monster trio spent training. She always was a more strategic fighter, outsmarting her enemies with her mastery of weather manipulation. Usopp on the other hand just couldn't quite keep up with the insanity of the trio.

He spent about sixty percent of the time of the trio did training. Of that sixty percent he spent about half of it sitting against a wall catching his breath. Vivi would occasionally jump in for some sparring against the trio. They might be stupid in their own regards. The fact of the matter is that they were smart enough to know where they were. So they went easy-ish on Vivi even though she insisted they fight all out. Over their time in the courtyard various royal guards went to test themselves against the trio. Everyone of them got destroyed. But after learning how out classed they were, they began looking for a bone to be thrown their way. They wanted something that would help them protect the country they loved. So the trio obliged, only if just a little bit.

Of course in other parts of the country the Marines were readying their forces. They had spent much of their time searching the island for the Straw Hats ship. As luck would have it a certain okama just happened to be on that ship hiding out. As was Robin, but their paths never crossed. Bon decided that the best move would be to hide the ship from the Marines. So that is what he did, under the cover of darkness of course. He's not a complete moron.

During what would be their last afternoon on the island after their last sparring session the Straw Hats received a call from that very same okama. Their was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Nami said

"I'm sorry to bother you all but someone keeps calling for you. He says you are friends." The guard said, rather confused by all of this.

"Ok, we will take the call." Nami replied. The guard set the Den Den Mushi on the desk and left the room.

The Den Den Mushi proceeded to ring once more. Luffy picked up the receiver and didn't say anything like he normally would. He just said "Hello."

Bon Clay proceeded to say "Mugiwara, I thought we were friends. How come you haven't answered."

"Not you." Sanji said

"Oh, I recognize your voice. You are the blond cook."

"What do you want, make it fast."

"I have your ship. I will call later with the location. The Marines have gathered their forces, they are going to be making a move sooner rather than later."

"Thanks, talk later." Luffy hung up the receiver.

"That was Bon Clay's voice." Vivi said

"Doesn't sound like he is holding Merry hostage. Sounds like he is trying to help us." Zoro said

"What, why would he do that?" Vivi asked

"One guess." Sanji said. "He needs our help." Sanji stated before lighting up a cigarette.

"Why would he need your help?" Vivi asked, her anger getting the better of her.

"Calm down Vivi-chan. Nothing to get upset over." Sanji said.

"Smoker probably called for reinforcements. He probably can't leave the island. So, he is forcing us to help him if we want our ship back." Luffy said

"It's actually kind of ingenious. I don't agree with it but it's ingenious non the less." Usopp said his arms crossed

"Sounds like tonight is our last night on the island." Zoro said "Can we borrow the Duck Squad to get to the coast."

"I guess you would have to leave eventually." Vivi said, sadness very obvious in her voice.

"Don't be sad Vivi." Nami said. "We didn't expect that we would be able to stay here forever. We are pirates after all."

"I know, it's just that I am going to miss you guys." Vivi said

"We will miss you too." Nami replied, reaching out to give Vivi a hug.

The two of them embraced for a few moments before letting go of each other.

"I will make the preparations for your departure tonight." Vivi said. She left the room wiping any remaining tears from her eyes.

Some time later, after the Straw Hats and Vivi spent a few hours together they got onto their ducks and rode off into the night. During that time Bon Clay called with a location of where he would dock the ship for them to meet up.

"Sad to see them go?" Cobra asked his daughter.

"Of course." Vivi said "But they had to leave, they said the longer they stayed the more likely that we would get into trouble for harboring them."

"That's probably true." Cobra said. "I have a feeling you will see them again someday. But for now you should get some sleep. Your coming of age ceremony is tomorrow."

"I will father, good night." Vivi said, giving her father a hug before going off to bed.

"Good night." Cobra responded

Several hours later the Straw Hats made it to their destination. The Straw Hats said their thanks to the Duck Squad before they took off back for Alubarna. The Merry was in one piece and Bon Clay was sitting on the railing.

"I'm so glad you made it." Bon said.

"Thanks for moving Merry, the Marines are must be out in full force looking for us." Usopp said.

"We have to assume they heard our conversation and are planning to ambush us." Sanji said

"That's right…w…wait a minute." Bon-chan said. "What are you talking about? How would they intercept our conversation?"

"It's the Marines. Many of their soldiers may be incompetent but their means of how they go about gathering information may be second to none." Sanji said as he hauled some of their supplies onboard the Merry.

"We will be ready for them." Luffy said

"I thank you my friends. A single swan would not be able to make it through their formations."

Bon Clay's ship seemingly appeared out of nowhere. His crew greatful for the Straw Hats help in getting away from the island. They spent the next several hours getting everything all set for their departure.

Around the same time Fullbody and Jango were on a pirate ship. They had taken out an entire crew of unnamed pirates. Not long after their success reported to Captain Hina, each with a huge bouquet of flowers for the lovely captain.

Early the next morning, back in Alubarna, Vivi was getting ready to give a speech to the people.

"The square is already packed. Your speech isn't scheduled until 10 am, yet so many people are already their waiting for you to speak." Terracotta said, tightening the corset Vivi was wearing.

Around the same time a Marine was reporting to Hina that the Straw Hats ship had been spotted.

Not more than a few hours after that the Straw Hats had encountered some of the Marine ships looking to take them in. It wasn't long before a full out battle on the sea started.

"These huge metal spears are a pain in the ass. I hope Merry doesn't take too much damage." Sanji said as the Merry's hull had already been penetrated by half a dozen of the things.

The battle continued as more spikes were fired at the Merry and the Swanda Express.

"This is crazy. We can't fight efficiently against eight ships all at the same time it's too many." Sanji said, frustrated at his lack of overall might. 'In just two years, ships this small and this few in number would be easily dispatch-able by any member of our crew.' Sanji thought to himself.

"Fighting on the land would be so much easier." Zoro said, just a little frustrated by their current predicament. "No matter what we do, they won't break their formation."

"What the hell are that idiot we met on the Baratie and the hypnotist from Syrup village doing on Marine ships?" Nami asked

"You know them?" Bon Clay asked

"Yeah, we met them not too long ago on the East Blue." Luffy said as he walked to the side of the ship. "Usopp." Luffy said. That was all Usopp had to hear before he shot a cannonball, destroying one ship while taking its partner down with it.

"That was amazing, long nose." Bon Clay said. "Hurry, let's make our escape to the south."

"We can't we have to meet a friend on the Eastern Harbor at noon." Nami said.

Bon Clay didn't know what to say. He froze in place with his jaw completely open. He quickly regained his composure. "To risk everything for a friend?"

"Yeah." Luffy said

"There is nothing more noble than to risk your life for a friend." Bon Clay said. The okama turned to his men. "Running away now would defy the Bon Clay way!"

Shortly after that the Swan ship started sailing for the South.

"The Swan ship is a decoy?" Hina thought out loud.

"It appears all of the Straw Hats are on board the swan ship." A Marine grunt stated.

The Marine ships broke formation to follow the Swan ship towards the south. Just three minutes later the Merry took off towards the East. The Swan ship was destroyed and its crew was captured in the pursuing battle.

"Everything falls the same way, I will see you again not too long from now." Luffy said, tears in his eyes as he watched his friend risk his life for his sake for a third time.

"We can't worry about him now. We have to say goodbye to Vivi." Nami said.

The Marines had made relatively short work of capturing the Swanda's crew. They proceeded to follow the Merry towards their destination.

All around the same time Vivi began her speech. All around the country, Den Den Mushi's were amplified so that all of the citizens in the various cities of Alabasta could hear the Princess's speech. Vivi proceeded to talk about her adventure with the Straw Hats, avoiding any and all mention of their actual crew name as well as the mention of the term pirates*. At the same time the Straw Hats fought off Marine soldiers and destroyed the ships that sailed too close. Eventually they broke off from the Marines and made their way to the Eastern Harbor.

*For your refence the speech is the same as the one Vivi gives in the Anime (Episode 129 around 15 minutes in) and the Manga (Chapter 216)

"Everyone have the mark on their left arm?" Nami asked

Everyone nodded, they were all somber. They didn't want to not have Vivi continue to sail with them. But they knew her title and position as a princess was much more important.

"We will see her again, someday?" Chopper asked

"Of course we will." Luffy replied. "She is our nakama and will always be welcome. The time just isn't right yet for her to sail with us."

"More ships are sailing toward us." Usopp said. Everyone's attention shifted to the incoming threat.

"Fantastic" Zoro said, sarcasm heavy in his voice.

"Here she comes." Sanji said. Everyone turned their attention back towards the coast of the island.

"You manage to get your Haki back?" Luffy asked

"Working on it." Sanji said "I can see her."

"Don't say anything." Luffy said "You know what to do."

"I will stay here. I love this country." Vivi said. Her voice amplified by the Den Den Mushi.

The Straw hats turned their backs to Vivi. But in doing so raised their left arms and clenched their fist. They had redrawn the black X on their forearms. Their silent promise that they would always be nakama. Vivi and Carue did the same. As they sailed off the Marines started firing on the crew. All the while five of the six of the Straw Hats had tears in their eyes. They continued to stand at the back of the ship for a short while.

Luffy eventually yelled "Set Sail" and they went about their business after they wiped away the tears from their eyes. Through a combination of knowledge and strength the Straw Hats were able to get away from the Marines.

Sometime later out on the open sea.

"Well that was quite amusing." Robin said.

"Does she?" Zoro whispered to Luffy

"Do I have my memories back?" Robin replied. "You can't get anything by me Zoro. I hear everything." Just as she said that flower petals materialized from nowhere. "I do. Nami mentioned my item after you departed from Whiskey Peak."

It was at this time that they noticed that Robin was wearing slightly more provocative clothing. More akin to what she would wear after their two years apart. Very different from what she wore when she emerged from the ship after their first departure from Alabasta.

"I'm so happy you are back Robin-chan." Sanji said.

"That is if Luffy will have me back." Robin replied

"Don't be stupid." Luffy said. "Just because I did something stupid doesn't take away from all that we have been through."

"Sort of does." Nami said

"Come on." Luffy replied pouting, "You know what I mean."

"We all regained our memories from our past or future experiences." Robin explained.

"Yeah, exactly." Luffy said. "Like I was saying. Just because I did something stupid, doesn't mean that you're all not my friends. You all have a place on this crew and on this ship." Luffy said. He proceeded to rub his head. "Is that right? I'm confused."

"I don't know, it's all so weird." Usopp said

"We are all nakama again, aren't we?" Chopper asked

"Of course we are Chopper. We followed Luffy once. We just get to experience everything all over again." Robin said as she went over to grab a lounge chair from storage and set it up.

"I have one more thing to say." Luffy said as sat down on the floor and tried to lean forward. But he was stopped by half a dozen arms.

"Don't apologize. You've already done that. Like I told you a couple of days ago after you beat Crocodile. I'm excited to make a mockery of the World Government all over again. For my own personal curiosity I'm excited to see what changes and what memories we retain." Robin said uncrossing her arms and letting her duplicate arms disappear.

"Fair enough." Luffy said standing back up. "I'm going to say this one more time. Know that I will do anything for you all. Your enemy is my enemy. I will do anything, fight anyone to make sure you are happy."

"We know." Zoro replied. "We know."

"Alright then." Luffy said. "Set sail for Jaya."

"We are already on the ocean, you dumbass." Nami yelled. "Besides we have to make sure we're on the right path. Which means we need to wait for the log pose to point us towards another island or we wait and hope for those Monkeys to show up with an Eternal Pose to Jaya. We should know if we are on the right course soon enough. With any luck we should sail directly under the falling St. Bliss. I want you to get me my waver back you dumbass." Nami proceeded to hit Luffy on the head as she often does, once again leaving a comically large bump.

Well Luffy fell to floor. He was on his back looking up and well. Low and behold he saw the St. Bliss was once again falling from the sky.

"You mean that ship right there?" Luffy asked as debris fell all around them.

**Back to the Future Straw Hats**

The Straw Hats walked outside and back to the Sunny. They looked out onto the horizon and saw that the sun was still high in the sky. They hadn't been inside the cave for nearly as long as they thought. Nami had been one of the last ones out save for Sanji and Luffy. Everyone was about to head off and go about their business but Nami got everyone's attention.

"Before you guys go off and do your own thing we need to discuss a few things."

"What do we need to talk about?" Usopp questioned as he crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side to think about recent events.

"Jinbe came back after taking the division commanders to the meeting with Big Mom. In addition to that our captain came back from who knows where."

"Right, how could I forget. I guess I was just glad to have them back." Usopp rubbed the back of his neck. He was kind of ashamed he could just forget such big details.

"Alright, everyone to the library." Nami ordered. Around the time she realized she had feelings for Luffy she wasn't quite herself. But after what happened in the cave of Raftel she was more or less back to her regular self.

"Why the library?" Franky asked. "Wouldn't the kitchen be better?"

"Do you think Luffy is going to pay any attention in the kitchen?" Nami questioned as she considered every place on the Sunny.

"I don't think Luffy-san will be any better in the library." Brook mentioned. "Luffy-san isn't one for books. Will he be able to keep focused?"

"Oh, I don't think you will have to worry about that anymore. He has something else to hold his attention now." Nami said as she purred like the sultry kitten her namesake represents.

Everyone eventually made their way into the library. Nami and Luffy, as well as Robin and Zoro sat next to each other. The rest of the crew sat in various locations on the couch along the wall. All except for Jinbe who sat on the floor and Sanji who was in the kitchen.

"You don't look very comfortable Jinbe. After we are done here I will make a chair for you."

"That would be great, thank you Franky."

"Of course." Franky cracked a smile while he held his big pink thumb up in the air.

In the meantime Sanji brought up two trays of drinks and put them on the cartography table. "Alright, everyone is here. We can begin our meeting." Nami began by standing up and grabbing a drink from one of the trays. Sanji passed out the remaining drinks. "I want to welcome back Jinbe who had taken on the job of escorting our division commanders through Big Mom's territory in person. And of course, I would like to welcome back Luffy from where ever the hell he disappeared to."

"Kanpai."

"Kanpai." Everyone repeated before they took a drink.

Nami went to sit down next to Luffy.

"So, we can talk about my discussion later. I am more curious as to what the hell this idiot has been up to." Jinbe expressed his confusion. "Seriously, I get back and right away I am dragged into this cave with everyone."

Usopp had gotten up and moved to the center of the room before he started talking about all that had transpired while Luffy was gone. "Yeah, it's been weird. The spirit told us Luffy found the lamp he was inside of. He told us how Luffy wished to go back in time to when he was younger with his mind intact so he could prevent Ace from dying. Thing is, we knew he went into the cave to explore but he never came back out of the cave."

"Eventually we all went in to look for him. Coincidentally Chopper and I happened across the same lamp. We rubbed it and to say the least we were surprised. Regardless, after we found out what happened to Luffy we asked the spirit to send our consciousness's back in time so that we could help Luffy. After watching our past selves for some time we got bored. We decided it would be beneficial to send our past selves some stuff from today. Well, more exactly just a few of us sent stuff back."

"Yeah, I sent back an older version of my clima-tact. Chopper sent himself some herbs and Usopp sent himself some pop greens. I'm sure there were other things in there, but those were the important bits. All of this stuff was to make ourselves more useful in battles." Nami said as she recounted the note she sent herself.

"You know, if that wasn't crazy enough, we found out that Robin and Zoro had feelings for each other. On top of that we learned that Nami had feelings for Luffy and what might be the craziest of all was that he was actually able to reciprocate those feelings." Usopp had over articulated some parts of the story but he still told it the best. Usopp hopped off of the cartography table and walked back to his seat.

After that very brief summary of what happened while he was gone Jinbe's mouth hit the floor. It took him a few moments before he was able to gather his thoughts and pick his mouth up.

"Come on Usopp, you must be stretching the truth. I mean Luffy and Zoro are pretty dense."

"Hey." they both replied.

"I'm not exaggerating!" Usopp exclaimed. "I don't know how it happened but it did."

"It might be hard to believe but it's true Jinbe-san." Robin stated as she grabbed Zoro's arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Well, you are adults. As long as you guys are happy." Jinbe said "Crazy as it sounds."

"I'm going to have some work to do if you guys want your own rooms. I will have to split the girls room in half. That would be the best way for all four of you to share that space. We are going to have to move the upper portion of the staircase leading to the helm and add a door to allow two of you to get to your room." Franky briefly explained all of the work that would have to be done. "Later we will take it down to the studs to add some sound proofing. After what we heard coming from the cave earlier it will be more than necessary for you perverts."

"Hey, I don't want to hear that from you!" Nami exclaimed as she yelled at Franky. After she got that out of her system she was able to talk with him in a more polite manner. "I can't imagine any of that work will be difficult for you Franky?" Nami asked, her demeanor changing yet again to something more cutesy.

"It's far from difficult. I will get to work on it as soon as we are done here." Franky said

Luffy cleared his throat and started talking. "So, we have two more matters to get to." Luffy said as he took charge of the meeting.

Everyone was shocked to see Luffy taking the lead. Usually he would just sit around. Very rarely has he contributed something that wasn't almost immediately shot down for being too stupid. He has never actually taken charge of a meeting beyond the opening of one.

"Well, how did your meeting go Jinbe?" Luffy was beyond curious, which wasn't strange for him when it pertained to messing around or kicking ass. But when it came down to actual business Luffy was very absent minded.

"Well, I am pleased to say that Fishman Island is officially under the protection of the Straw Hat pirates and the Straw Hat Grand Fleet. Even though you were able to beat Big Mom some time ago she still didn't want to hand over control of the island. Even though the Throne War is over the repercussions of your fights against all of the Yonko are still playing themselves out. Specifically to fill the power vacuum that the Blackbeard Pirates used to occupy. All over the New World there are pirates and other organizations who are fighting each other to gain as much of that territory as possible. Many of the same sides, fighting each other over some of the territories that used to be under the protection of the Yonko. However, even though you 'beat' Shanks, he and his crew have some how managed to stay out of it, not losing that much territory."

"Man the New World has gotten even crazier." Luffy exclaimed. "I can't wait to fight other powerful people."

"Idiot." Nami retorted as she bonked him over the head. "Who is going to want to fight the Pirate King? I can see people looking to sail under our flag for protection but that's about it."

"Come on Nami. You didn't have to hit me." Luffy retorted as he pouted like a child.

"Yes I do. I have to keep you in check. I can't have you doing anything too reckless…again." Nami leaned in and kissed him on the lips. "You understand?" Nami asked after she and Luffy stopped tongue wrestling.

Luffy didn't say anything. He just nodded.

Just after Nami and Luffy finished kissing, Zoro brought up a rather well thought out and intelligent point. "You will be surprised how much this rapid shift in power effects peoples judgement. They will be more willing to do stupid things all in the name of being more powerful or influential than the next guy." Everyone was surprised. It's rare when Zoro has something actually appropriate to add to the discussion at hand.

"It seems that being with Nami and Robin is actually good for them." Chopper theorized. "I guess it gets blood flowing to different parts of the brain that haven't seen much activity. Who would have know that the human mating ritual would have so many positive side effects."

"Chopper." Usopp said "You know, I don't want to hear anything you have to say or think about when it comes to human interactions." Usopp exclaimed. He was rather unnerved that Chopper could bring up such a topic with so little thought."

"What do you mean Usopp? It's only biology!" Chopper stated. If Usopp didn't stop him now he might go on a whole other tirade about humans mating or parts of the human body that are affected during their mating ritual."

"Chopper." Usopp said as he raised his voice a little to bring Chopper back into the conversation.

"Yeah, Usopp? Did you want me to go over something more specific? I can go into great detail about how the male and female interact while they are copul…."

"Milky." Usopp yelled. Ever since Chopper met that reindeer mink, her name had been the only thing that would get Chopper to dial his doctor talk back to zero. Just hearing her name would make Chopper act all goofy. He would act almost exactly like Sanji when he passes by a beautiful girl… well just about any girl for that matter.

"Getting back on track we have to figure out what we can do to help the spirit who as far as we know was trapped in that lamp." Luffy stated as he brought the conversation back to something that was actually relevant and useful.

"What can we do to free him from the lamp? We want to avoid hurting him." Robin said

"I'm just going to sit here and listen. I am still sort of fuzzy on what's going on." Jinbe just crossed his arms and listened. He was still being brought up to speed on what's happened while he was gone.

They did their best to brainstorm some ideas that sort of sounded feasible. But they made very little progress as they didn't really understand how the spirit ended up in the lamp. Sanji was just about to get up to go prepare dinner but Robin stopped him and started talking.

"The spirit trapped in the lamp aside. We don't actually know what happened to Luffy."

"That's a good point. You did mention something about walking into a portal, getting trapped inside and then another you walking through the other side of the portal. Right?" Franky recalled Luffy's brief description before things between Luffy and Nami got anymore intimate.

Luffy scratched the top of his head for a minute while he was thinking. The rest of the crew waited patiently for an answer. "Well it was weird and it all happened so fast. I really can't explain what happened to me. I remember a bright light and then I could see the past and the present. It was like I was watching two different videos from two different visual den den mushi. But one was going faster than the other."

"Was the one from your past going faster?" Usopp asked, not really sure what to say next. This was already so damn ridiculous nothing would sound impossible ever again.

"It was. As far as anything else goes, I really don't have an answer." Luffy said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I guess we are going to have to be satisfied with that answer at least for now." Robin retorted. "There are plenty of mysteries in this world and that just happens to be one of them."

"You know, I'm not even sure how much time has passed since I walked into the portal."

"It wasn't more than two weeks." Nami said, almost casually. Like this wasn't a big deal.

After that the crew just started talking about whatever came to mind. The conversation devolved into something that was far less serious and way more fun. The serious air that had filled the library had long since dissipated. At some point Sanji disappeared to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Sometime later Sanji yelled up to the crew and they came down the ladder. Their conversations consisted of much more mundane topics. After dinner was cleaned up members of the crew continued to chat. Slowly the numbers awake dwindled as the hours ticked by. It wasn't until 1 am or so when the two couples on the ship called it a night. They kissed they respective partner and they went off to their gender divided quarters until Franky could work his magic.

Later that morning the crew was awoken by the smell of bacon and various other delectable goodies that Sanji had been wiping up. It wasn't long before the kitchen was full.

"You know, while I was away something strange happened to your Vivre card, Luffy. I had some time to think and it kind of makes sense now." Jinbe stated.

"What happened to Luffy-san's Vivre card Jinbe-san?"

"The thing is, it didn't just stop moving towards you it also faded in and out of existence." This caused everyone to stop eating. Some of their eyes seemed to bulge out of their heads. The straw hats who had their mouths filled with food quickly swallowed everything, causing some of them to choke. Moments later after everyone was all set Franky spoke up.

"You mean to say one second Luffy's Vivre card was there the next it was gone?" Franky asked, a perplexed look plastered all over his face.

"That's exactly right." Jinbe said

"Man, this just gets weirder." Usopp replied, at this point he just about had enough of all this craziness revolving around portals what he could only assume was magic or a devil fruit. He wanted to get back to their regular brand of crazy.

"Obviously, it didn't stay gone." Nami said "It likely stopped disappearing once Luffy walked back through the portal back in the cave. But by then you must have been almost to the island."

"Yeah, that would seem to be the case. I wasn't exactly sure what events caused Luffy's card to vanish like it did. I'm just glad I had Vivre cards from the rest of you. Without them I wouldn't have been able to get back here." Jinbe said

"Regardless, we are glad to have you back Jinbe-san." Brook said "So captain, what is next?"

"We'll do what we can for the spirit of the lamp, grab some treasure and get out of here. We don't want anybody else finding this island just by following my Vivre card here." Luffy said


End file.
